Former Dingyue Development Corp (鼎越開發) president Chu Yea-hu (朱亞虎) has admitted paying bribes in connection to the Core Pacific City case, the Taipei District Court said, which granted prosecutors’ request late on Saturday night to have him detained and held incommunicado for suspected corruption.
The court late on Saturday evening also approved a request by the Taipei District Court to detain chief financial officer of the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) presidential campaign Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗).
The two were among 10 defendants accused of corruption by allegedly giving preferential treatment to Core Pacific City Co (京華城) during TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) tenure as Taipei mayor and expanding the floor area ratio (FAR) of the redevelopment project in 2020 to boost the value of the property.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chu and Lee were summoned for questioning by Taipei prosecutors and the Agency Against Corruption taskforce earlier on Saturday during which Chu admitted to paying bribes to city officials, court records showed.
The court ordered Lee to be detained for allegedly taking bribes, although he denied the allegations against him when questioned, court records showed.
Other suspects were also questioned, including Core Pacific supervisor Chang Chih-cheng (張志澄) and Core Pacific Group legal affairs manager Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源).
They were later released on bail of NT$2.5 million (US$78,894) and NT$1.5 million respectively.
Prosecutors said that Chu of Dingyue Development Corp, a subsidiary of Core Pacific Group (威京集團), and Lee played the role of “white glove” intermediaries to channel bribes between Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko.
Prosecutors said Chu is facing bribery charges for contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and would be detained due to the high risk that he would flee abroad or collude on his testimony with other defendants.
Lee is facing charges of taking bribes and would be detained to prevent him from tampering with evidence or colluding on his testimony with other defendants.
Additional reporting by Chen Tsai-ling and CNA
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
CAUTION URGED: Xiaohongshu and Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — are tools the Chinese government uses for its ‘united front’ propaganda, the MAC said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged people who use Chinese social media platforms to be cautious of being influenced by Beijing’s “united front” propaganda and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty. Chiu made the remarks in response to queries about Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) saying that as young Taiwanese are fond of interacting on Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), “after unification with China, it would be easier to govern Taiwan than Hong Kong.” Zhang is professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University and director of its China Institute. When giving a speech at China’s Wuhan
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
RSS