The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) last year raised NT$84.3 million (US$2.61 million) in donations and spent no money on campaigning, the latest Control Yuan audits on the campaign finances of Taiwanese political parties yesterday revealed.
The audit report was published a day after police searched the offices of accounting firms and other companies linked to TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) presidential campaign as part of a probe into alleged corruption and false reporting of campaign finances dating back several years.
Last year, the TPP raised NT$46.6 million in individual donations and NT$30.9 million from businesses while spending NT$71 million, including NT$37 million in personnel costs and NT$28.1 million in operational costs, the report said.
Photo: Fang Wei-li, Taipei Times
The TPP records showed no campaign expenditures and a net income of NT$13.6 million, it said.
Last year, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) raised NT$116 million in donations, including NT$74.4 million in individual donations and NT$39.3 million from businesses, the report showed.
The DPP spent NT$142 million last year, including NT$63.4 million in the party’s campaign expenses, NT$33.5 million in contributions to the campaigns of candidates the party nominated or endorsed, NT$20.9 million in personnel costs, and NT$20.2 million in operational costs, it said.
The DPP spent NT$25.9 million more than it raised, it said.
Last year, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) raised NT$152.6 million in donations, including NT$101.2 million in individual donations and NT$50 million in business donations, the report showed.
The KMT spent NT$147 million, including NT$23.2 million in campaign expenditures, NT$15.8 million in contributions to its candidates’ campaigns, NT$55.8 million in personnel costs and NT$44.6 million in operational costs, it said.
The KMT had a surplus of NT$5.8 million, it said.
TPP Deputy Secretary-General Osmar Hsu (許甫) said that the party did not calculate total campaign expenditures separately, and that such costs were included in the operational spending of the party’s departments.
Authorities on Monday embarked on audits to investigate allegations concerning false reporting of political expenses, after the financial report on political donations for Ko and TPP vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) was published on the Control Yuan’s Web site on July 16, the Control Yuan said in a news release on Tuesday.
The TPP has admitted errors in its financial records. The party allegedly did not report the income from ticket sales for a fundraising concert before the election. On Tuesday, it filed a request to investigate alleged wrongdoing by its accountant Tuanmu Cheng (端木正).
The Political Donations Act (政治獻金法) stipulates that a party’s prospective candidates could be fined NT$60,000 to NT$1.2 million for failing to record income and expenses, and provide receipts appropriately, the agency said, adding that donations which were not deposited into a dedicated account could be confiscated.
Reporting of political donation expenditure without relevant vouchers or documents would constitute an intentional false declaration and could also be fined NT$60,000 to NT$1.2 million, it added.
During the audit process, if an accountant is found to have contravened regulations, he could be punished in accordance with Article 63 of the Certified Public Accountant Act, it said.
The case could be sent to prosecuting authorities for further investigation in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) if other criminal suspicions are found, it added.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS