In the wake of Taiwan's most violent earthquake this century, local prosecutors have taken legal action against dozens of contractors and architects who are suspected of negligence.
The Ministry of Justice, which is leading the probe, released results of its initial investigation yesterday.
A total of 61 cases have been identified where contractors and architects are alleged to be responsible for damage to structures due to substandard construction or design. Out of a total of 62 suspects, 10 have been detained and 15 have been released on bail. A total of 46 have been prevented from leaving the country.
Prosecutors in Taichung County, the area hardest hit by the earthquake, are investigating 31 cases in which contractors and architects are accused of negligent manslaughter and endangering public safety.
In Nantou County, also severely hit by the earthquake, prosecutors have found 19 cases. There are also five cases under investigation by the Panchiao Prosecutors' Office.
Tseng Yung-fu (
Prosecutors have found that some of the construction companies under suspicion have already closed their businesses. Residents of the damaged buildings have protested that these firms are trying to avoid facing the consequences of civil or criminal action.
However, Tseng noted yesterday that the suspected contractors will not be able to escape the law as responsibility for liability lies with the contractors themselves, not with the construction companies.
During spot checks conducted on some of the collapsed buildings prosecutors discovered foreign materials -- such as metal cooking oil containers, newspapers and chunks of polystyrene -- embedded in the reinforced cement pillars.
The discovery of shoddy construction materials among the wreckage of buildings has sparked furious protests among residents and has been cited as evidence of negligence.
Some construction professionals argued, however, that it was not unusual to find foreign materials in pillars that are not major backbones of a building. However, not many residents accept this argument.
"We've sought help from a number of civil engineering and architecture professionals in assessing the damage. We highly respect the professional knowledge of these people. But, like any ordinary citizens, we find it difficult to agree that the kind of stuff [oil barrels, newspapers] we saw could be used in the normal construction of buildings," Tseng said.
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