The Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau and Taipei District Prosecutors' Office yesterday traded accusations over who was responsible for leaking allegations about a "secret" presidential bank account to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅).
Last Friday, Chiu held a press conference accusing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of opening a "secret" account, depositing around NT$169 million (US$5.15 million) into it and later transferring the funds abroad.
Chinese-language newspapers the China Times and the United Daily News reported that Chiu met with his sources, said to be two men, in a Taipei County motel, and that it was they who provided the information about the president's bank accounts in Taishin International Bank.
The reports said the two were suspected of being agents from the bureau's Money Laundering Prevention Center, which monitors the transfer of large amounts of cash overseas.
The bureau at a press conference on Monday denied that its agents were responsible for the leak, saying that Taipei prosecutor Hsu Yung-chin (
The bureau's remarks were seen as letting the public know that the bureau was not the only agency to have knowledge of Chen's accounts.
Hsu yesterday told the media that the bureau's remarks were nonsense, saying it was intending to shift the blame for the leaking of confidential information to specific newspapers and Chiu.
The bureau has come in for criticism for leaking confidential information to the United Daily News and Chiu while investigating corruption allegations including Chao's insider trading case, the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp investigation and the Sogo Department voucher case.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office yesterday said it was seriously considering whether to file a lawsuit against Chiu for alleging that President Chen had a "secret" bank account.
Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (
Lee made the remarks after Democratic Progressive Party spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS