The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) illegally obtained land in Taipei that was formerly the site of the Institute of Revolutionary Practice, the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee said yesterday, ordering the party to pay NT$3.2 billion (US$114.95 million) in compensation.
From 1954 to 1974, the KMT-affiliated institute administered the land and building in Wenshan District (文山), which was known as the Chunghsing Estate (中興山莊), the committee said.
The KMT’s income from membership fees from 1953 to June 1980 comprised only 1.83 percent of the institute’s income, while government subsidies made up 85.38 percent, the committee said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The KMT’s solution to “balance its budget” was to ask members who were in office to increase government subsidies or transfer party work to the government, the committee said, adding that the KMT had even taken out interest-free loans from the central bank to pay institute expenses.
These are not normal actions for political parties and there is reason to believe that all legitimate income the party procured was depleted between 1953 and 1980, so the funds it used to procure the estate were illegitimate, the committee said.
As the asset has been transferred to the Taipei City Government and Yuanlih Group, the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例), stipulates that the KMT should pay NT$3.2 billion — the price it sold the asset for minus taxes, the committee said.
Yuanlih Group said it would donate NT$801.34 million to the state and yesterday signed a settlement with the committee.
Yuanlih bought some of the land with plans to construct residential buildings.
KMT Administration and Management Committee director Chiu Da-chan (邱大展) said that the party has the sale contract to prove that it purchased the land for much more than it had sold it for.
The committee should provide proof if it is accusing the party of having appropriated state funds for illegitimate use, Chiu said.
KMT Disciplinary Committee director Lee Guei-min (李貴敏) said that the party would take appropriate legal action.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS