Gary Wang (
The case is currently under investigation.
Chou Chi-peng (
PHOTO: HAKU HUANG, LIBERTY TIMES
Meanwhile, Weng Hung-tsai (
Taiwan Development and Trust last November bought a 72,000m2 plot of land in Yangmei, Taoyuan County, from FESS for about NT$1.8 billion.
According to FESS, the company had bought the land in early 1998 for NT$845 million and further developed it, raising its value.
But prosecutors and investigators believe that land value assessments were illegally influenced, possibly through bribery or kickbacks, wrongly inflating the value of the land.
They were also told that the actual price paid by FESS for the land was just NT$200 million -- significantly less than the NT$845 million purchase fee it claimed to have paid.
Wang yesterday denied such accusations.
"Both the FESS and the TDTC are companies listed on the stock market. The deal was examined and approved by the boards of both companies in pursuing reasonable profits that would benefit all shareholders.
"How could FESS influence the TDTC into buying the land?" he asked.
He also said that he would like to buy the land back from TDTC at the NT$1.8 billion selling price "if questions about the deal continue to be asked."
If he were to do so, he said, FESS alone would exploit the land and create a high-quality neighborhood.
He also criticized the prosecutors and investigators for leaking information about the case to the media during their investigation.
"Such a judgement by the media in advance of the trial will cause harm to the company and its investors," he said, before claiming him and his company innocent of wrongdoing.
Prosecutor Weng, on the other hand, said he has not yet summoned Wang for questioning but will do so in due course.
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ALL-IN-ONE: A company in Tainan and another in New Taipei City offer tours to China during which Taiwanese can apply for a Chinese ID card, the source said The National Immigration Agency and national security authorities have identified at least five companies that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese identification cards while traveling in China, a source said yesterday. The issue has garnered attention in the past few months after YouTuber “Pa Chiung” (八炯) said that there are companies in Taiwan that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese documents. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) last week said that three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan have allegedly assisted Taiwanese in applying for Chinese ID cards and were under investigation for potential contraventions of the Act Governing
STAY WARM: Sixty-three nontraumatic incidents of OHCA were reported on Feb. 1, the most for a single day this year, the National Fire Agency said A total of 415 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurred this month as of Saturday, data from the National Fire Agency showed as doctors advised people to stay warm amid cold weather, particularly people with cardiovascular disease. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a low temperature warning nationwide except for Penghu County, anticipating sustained lows of 10°C or a dip to below 6°C in Nantou, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as areas north of Yunlin County. The coldest temperature recorded in flat areas of Taiwan proper yesterday morning was 6.4°C in New Taipei City’s Shiding District (石碇). Sixty-three nontraumatic OHCA
COMMITTED: Lai said that Taiwan deeply appreciated the leaders’ statement, adding that the nation would remain steadfast in working to advance regional peace and prosperity US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement issued after they met in Washington for their first official meeting. Trump and Ishiba “affirmed their determination to pursue a new golden age for US-Japan relations that upholds a free and open Indo-Pacific and brings peace and prosperity to a violent and disorderly world,” the US-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement said. “The two leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the