Finance minister Paul Chiu (
Lawmakers from all three parties had pressed Chiu to specify if there were other "secret accounts" in addition to the two accounts at the Chung Hsing Bills Finance Co (???2憎?膝q) that have already been exposed -- which are under the names of Soong's son, Soong Chen-yuan (宋鎮遠), and Soong's sister-in-law, Chen Pi-yun (3笑捅3).
Chiu told lawmakers that the account had not been opened in Soong's name, but declined to disclose any names or other details on the grounds that he is obliged to protect the privacy of the people concerned.
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, LIBERTY TIMES.
"The transaction amount [of the third account] ranges somewhere between that of the previous two accounts, but I can't provide any details," Chiu said.
Chiu did not make any denials when DPP legislator Cheng Pao-ching (
The ministry has completed an investigation into allegations of tax evasion by Soong, which will be forwarded to judicial authorities for further investigation.
The lawmakers were also interested to know if Soong, in his previous explanations over the two exposed cases, had hidden any facts -- such as the total amount of money remitted overseas from the accounts and how the balance was handled.
Refering to the NT$470 million, Soong's camp said the money likely referred to campaign funds from the KMT to finance his gubernatorial campaign in 1994, but insisted there wasn't any single entry over NT$300 million. While most of the money was spent on the election, they said, the remaining balance was donated to a foundation connected to Lee for the setting up a scholarship at Soong's alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley.
Chiu said the Finance Ministry's investigation has found that the money was drawn in the form of 19 checks.
At yesterday's legislative session, however, Chiu said two of the 19 checks had been cashed, adding that Soong had drawn other checks besides those 19.
Chiu also confirmed that there were other overseas remittals in addition to US$800,000 that Soong said was intended for the Chiang family, and another US$1 million that was donated to UC Berkeley.
These other remittances had been made from the accounts of Soong's "associates," Chiu said.
The KMT suspects that Soong embezzled the money from the KMT-run business, taking advantage of his position as KMT secretary-general and chairman of the KMT-run Hua Hsia Investment Holding Co (
"These are accounts set up outside the established institutions," Huang said. "The deposits were conducted without the knowledge of the party's treasury and not through the normal administrative mechanism." Huang said another controversial part about Soong's behavior is the fact that Soong had transferred the money from these two special accounts to the accounts of his son and sister-in-law.
Soong's campaign office, meanwhile, said they have decided to hire a group of accountants and lawyers to make public all of Soong's accounts and their monetary flows to prove Soong's innocence.
Soong's aides said the so-called secret account mentioned by Chiu could be one of the deposit entries that occurred during Soong's gubernatorial campaign.
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