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
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS