The Special Investigation Panel (SIP) of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office yesterday rebutted allegations that the former first family’s physician, Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥) was a defendant in the alleged money-laundering case involving the family and would soon return to Taiwan to testify against others.
“He [Huang] has not contacted us. Besides, he is still only a witness in the case,” SIP Spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said.
Chen was approached for comment yesterday after the Chinese-language China Times yesterday reported that through State Public Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming’s (陳聰明) connections, Huang had promised the SIP to return soon and testify against “other defendants” in the money laundering case.
Chen said rumors like this were complicating investigations.
“We will not confirm untrue stories,” he said. “These kinds of stories have seriously hampered our progress.”
Chen said Huang would have to be a defendant in the case to testify against “other defendants,” yet Huang remained a witness.
Chen said SIP prosecutors had confiscated NT$10 million (US$300,000) in cash from Huang’s office on Dec. 16 last year.
Prosecutors were trying to figure out who the money belonged to and whether it was secured through illegal means. Prosecutors have yet to summons Huang, he said.
Meanwhile, after filing an appeal on Monday against his detention, former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) lawyers yesterday submitted an attachment with additional arguments to the High Court.
Lawyer Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳) said SIP prosecutors were not authorized to file a detention request against a defendant once the defendant had been indicted and transferred to the court.
In addition, Shih said the Taipei District Court’s merger of the cases concerning the former president had violated procedures.
Also yesterday, the Taipei District Court turned down the lawyers’ request for a change in judges.
Taipei District Court Spokesman Huang Chun-ming (黃俊明) said the request to remove a judge would be granted only when there is evidence that the judge may be biased because of a close or improper relationship with either prosecutors or defense lawyers.
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
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STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
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