Deposits by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his wife have increased by more than NT$12 million (US$361,450) in six months, mainly because of retirement payments received by the first lady, an official at the Presidential Office said yesterday.
A report published by the Control Yuan on Thursday said that Ma listed deposits totaling NT$64.68 million in his latest assets disclosure statement filed in July.
The amount represents an increase of NT$12.31 million compared with the deposits he listed in February.
RETIREMENT PAY
Asked about the matter during a news conference, Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said that the largest contributor to the increase was NT$11.87 million in retirement pay that first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) received upon concluding 26 years of service at Mega International Commercial Bank in June.
The increase also included Chow’s performance bonuses and the salaries received by the first couple, Wang said.
To honor one of his campaign promises, the president put the assets of himself and his wife into a trust at Mega International Commercial Bank on Nov. 10, he said.
Besides the increase in deposits, new items on the first couple’s assets list included a life insurance policy with NT$4.8 million in coverage for Ma and one with NT$2 million in coverage for Chow, a Control Yuan report said.
Remaining unchanged were two properties registered under the name of Ma and six others under the name of Chow, stock with total face value of NT$680,000 and other securities with a total face value of NT$240,000, the report said.
SIEW AND WIFE
Meanwhile, the information from the Control Yuan showed that bank deposits belonging to Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and his wife dropped to NT$27. 25 million from NT$29.05 million in February.
Siew’s wife Chu Chu-hsien (朱俶賢) declared two pieces of diamond jewelry valued at NT$1.2 million and NT$1.4 million respectively and two necklaces worth NT$700,000.
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