TVBS anchorwoman Kelly Hsueh (薛楷莉) has broken her silence over allegations that she exploited a wealthy Japanese businessman and was involved in other improprieties. Over the past two days she has given interviews to local Chinese media to clarify her position.
Hsueh told the China Times Express yesterday that her initial silence did not mean she is guilty. She said she was only handling the case in the way her company had instructed her.
According to Hsueh, her accusers had fabricated many false stories to harm her.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
"Since they are accusing me of fraud and exploitation, they are free to sue me and they should not release self-contradictory stories in the media everyday," Hsueh was quoted by the paper as saying.
The allegations against her involve Japan-based painter Yao Hsu-teng (姚旭燈) and his friend, a Korean businessman residing in Japan, who is identified by his Japanese name as E. Tokuhara (德原榮玉).
Hsueh was introduced to Tokuhara through another TVBS anchorwoman, who is a long-time friend of Yao.
The story first surfaced last Thursday when Yao accused Hsueh of forcing Tokuhara to run up nearly NT$1.9 million in credit-card charges within an hour after meeting him for a second time in Taipei on Sept. 10.
The credit-card charges allegedly paid for a diamond watch of NT$1.24 million and some brand-name purses and clothing that cost more than NT$600,000.
Yao tried to help Tokuhara and insisted on getting a refund for the watch. They succeeded after numerous rounds of negotiations with the shop, according to the reports.
Shortly before going on the shopping spree, Hsueh allegedly accepted a pink pearl necklace worth NT$600,000 as a gift from Tokuhara and another NT$27,700 (US$810) in cash for her to fly to Japan. The pre-shopping meeting took place at a coffee house of the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei, in Yao's presence.
In an interview published by the Liberty Times yesterday, Hsueh said it was Tokuhara who suggested that she go shopping with him, and the businessman told her that the watch, purses and clothing were gifts for his "mother and sister."
Hsueh said she did not accept any of these things.
She also accused Tokuhara of harassing her sexually.
"When we were crossing the road, he not only patted my hand, but also touched my buttocks," Hsueh said.
As for the necklace, Hsueh said she declined to accept the gift but Tokuhara insisted that she take it.
"It was very embarrassing for the two of us to push the gift back and forth, and I was afraid that people would recognize me. So I kept it temporarily, thinking that I could return it after the meal or have the hotel return it to him. And I left the necklace on the table until we left," Hsueh was quoted as saying.
Hsueh said she refused to accept the cash, too, but she was surprised to find the money inside the necklace case after taking the gift back to her office that afternoon.
She said she did not have a chance to return the necklace to Tokuhara before leaving, because he returned to his hotel room after the shopping spree and she insisted on staying in the lobby to wait for Yao.
Hsueh said she planned to mail the necklace and cash back to Tokuhara, thinking she could pick a post office with surveillance cameras that could record her act.
Hsueh dismissed as groundless other allegations that have been made against her over the past few days. These include allegations that she committed credit-card fraud in the US and claimed an exorbitant compensation fee of NT$5 million for a car accident, without giving any good reasons.
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