Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (
Hsieh on Thursday dismissed Chiu's accusations that he worked as an informant for the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau between 1981 and 1989.
Hsieh also said that 10 people were launching a smear campaign against him in order to help KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
Hsieh called the allegations against him a desperate effort by Ma's campaign managers.
Some of those trying to smear his image were retired intelligence officials with a lot of inside information, Hsieh said, adding that their supervisors would not dare expose them because they were privy to delicate information.
"I call on Hsieh to make public the names of those 10 people who are so powerful and resourceful according to his description," Chiu said yesterday at the legislature.
"He should also make public the inside information and the supervisors' weaknesses that those people know about," he said.
When asked for comment, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), at a separate setting yesterday, urged Chiu and Hsieh to add light to the situation.
"The one who made the accusations has a responsibility, but the candidate should also clarify what he was doing at the time," Lu said after attending a Taipei Lantern Festival event at Taipei City Hall.
Lu said the incident had attracted a great deal of attention and that Chiu and Hsieh should therefore clarify the situation.
Ma said he had no knowledge of the accusations and declined to comment.
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