Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) yesterday denied accusations that he had pressed Hsinchu County police to be lenient on a company executive involved in a fatal traffic crash, calling the claim “sheer fiction.”
Skytech vice president Lo Wei-jui (羅偉瑞) on May 18 allegedly made an illegal left turn in his SUV and hit a man on a scooter.
The rider, a 53-year-old surnamed Tai (戴), was pronounced dead in the early hours of May 20.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan via CNA
Two days later when police were taking statements from Lo Wei-jui and Tai’s family, Sinpu Precinct Chief Lin Ying-huang (林英煌) appeared to be helping the executive throughout the process, even sending his statement to media through the county police’s public relations unit.
This led to speculation that a higher authority had sought leniency on Lo Wei-jui’s behalf.
The Hsinchu County Policy Bureau on Saturday issued demerits to Lin, the head of the public relations division and others.
Chang Yu-hsuan (張禹宣), spokesman for former legislative candidate Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), on Tuesday wrote on Facebook that Lo Ping-cheng was the “puppetmaster” behind the scandal.
Chang said that Skytech is represented by Hung Li Partners, a law firm cofounded by Lo Ping-cheng.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Huang Tzu-che (黃子哲) also weighed in.
“Did Lo Ping-cheng have a role in this case?” Huang wrote on Facebook. “Did he provide any counsel? Did he manipulate behind the scenes? No one knows.”
He drew a connection between the two men, calling it “curious” that Lo Wei-jui has ties with Chiayi City’s Hunei Township (湖內), which Lo Ping-cheng lists on the Executive Yuan Web site as his hometown.
The Cabinet spokesman yesterday said that he left the law firm six years ago and has no connection with the matter.
“I never made a single telephone call, nor did I have anything to do with the case,” he told reporters at a news conference in Taipei.
Some media firms ran the story without evidence and did not reach out to him for comment, he said, calling on his accusers to present evidence if they have it.
Asked whether he would pursue legal action, Lo Ping-cheng said that it would not be a good course of action, but he would consider it if his accusers continue to defame him.
Additional reporting by Yao Yue-hung, Huang Mei-chu and Yang Cheng-yu
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