Following a warning from a legal advisor, independent presidential candidate James Soong's (
Huang Tung-hsiung (黃東熊), a lawyer for Soong, told the Taipei Times yesterday that Soong and his aides had tentatively decided on Tuesday to donate the money, which Soong admitted belonged to the KMT.
But Soong's camp put the plan on hold after Huang warned them that the donation might have far-reaching legal implications.
Acting on Soong's behalf, Huang sent the money as checks to both the Presidential Office and the KMT's party headquarters by registered mail, but the letters were returned unopened each time.
In response to the news, Huang Hwei-chen (
Huang Hwei-chen had said earlier that the party would not accept a private settlement with Soong but would take the case to court.
Meanwhile, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office began to summons witnesses in Soong's case for questioning.
However, only one of the two persons scheduled to appear for questioning turned up yesterday morning.
Kuo Chao-yang (
Prosecutors believe Kuo's associates received a seven-digit NT dollar sum from Soong in the run-up to the legislative elections in 1992. The money was remitted from the accounts of Soong's financial advisor Chen Pi-yun (
Kuo refused to answer questions from reporters yesterday, but said he was only helping out his uncle during the election campaign.
The other witness, Tsai Yu-min (
The prosecutors plan to summons about 20 people for questioning over the next few days. The witnesses include donors and recipients of money involved in the case.
Many legislative candidates each received between NT$1 million and NT$5 million during that time, remitted from Soong's account as KMT secretary-general and the Hua Hsia fund account, according to Hung.
The Control Yuan also plans to summons a key witness, former deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Provincial Government Ma Chieh-ming (
Investigators at the government watchdog agency believe Ma handled the remittance of at least NT$100 million to the US on behalf of Soong, the report said.
Soong reacted angrily to the report, accusing high-level KMT and government officials of abusing their administrative powers and leaking false information to the press.
"If any high official says such things on record, I'll take legal action against them," Soong said.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
COUNTERING THE PLA: While the US should reinforce its relations with partners and allies, Taiwan must invest in strengthening its defenses as well, Phillip Davidson said If influence in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the US’ core interests, then Taiwan serves as a cornerstone of US economic and security influence in the region, former US Indo-Pacific Command commander admiral Phillip Davidson said on Thursday. “China’s ... strategy is to supplant the US leadership role in the international order ... and they’ve long said ... that they intend to do that by 2050,” Davidson told the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in Washington. Davidson said he had previously told US Senate hearings on China’s military activities and possible threats in the Indo-Pacific region that a Chinese invasion of
RSS