The Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee is probing allegations that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) founded the China Youth Corps, the National Women’s League and other organizations with assets that were obtained illicitly.
The committee has received reports alleging that the youth corps and the league are linked to the KMT, and the committee is collecting data to verify the allegations, committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said yesterday.
The committee has also received tip-offs that 16 other groups or foundations were founded by the KMT and Hsinyutai Co — a holding company established by the KMT — with assets obtained illicitly, and the committee is collecting evidence about those claims, Shih said.
Local media reported that the committee is to hold a series of hearings to decide whether the organizations are under the KMT’s control, but Shih said that the committee is still investigating the claims.
“The current task is to ascertain whether Hsinyutai and Central Investment Co are KMT-affiliated organizations and a hearing will be held next month,” she said.
According to a Control Yuan report in 2011, the China Youth Corps had NT$5.3 billion (US$168.6 million at the current exchange rate) of assets in 2010, and that it owned Living Psychology Publishers, a travel agency and 46 cram schools, in addition to its investments in several other companies, including publisher Youth Corp.
Meanwhile, the National Women’s League, considered a primary target of the committee, was allegedly the recipient of a compulsory public donation for the benefit of military veterans and it has been estimated that the organization collected NT$96.93 billion between 1955 and 1989.
The committee is also looking into 13 non-profit organizations founded by the KMT and three established by Hsinyutai which have a total value of NT$1.11 billion, according to a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper).
The three organizations founded by Hsinyutai are chaired by KMT Secretary-General Mo Tien-hu (莫天虎), KMT Administration Committee director Chu Da-chan (邱大展) and former director Lin Yu-hsien (林祐賢), according to the report.
In addition to the businesses owned by the KMT, the non-profit foundations are also important targets of the commission and whether they would be recognized as affiliated organizations depends on whether the KMT has substantial control over their management, Shih said.
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