Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) said he would not seek re-election next year amid pressure over his ties to a fraud suspect.
In a statement on Sunday night, the legislator representing Yilan County apologized to his family and supporters for his association with Tseng Kuo-wei (曾國緯), the founder of peer-to-peer lending platform im.B, which is being investigated for allegedly defrauding customers.
Eleven Yilan County councilors of the DPP on Friday signed a letter asking the party to clarify Chen’s involvement in the case and his relationship to the principal suspects.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
“Earlier, I explained that I have no link to any criminal fraud ring. I was not aware of the whole situation when I accepted the company’s financial support,” he said. “I shall defend myself from false accusations. Therefore to defend myself, and protect our party’s election planning, I have decided to drop out of the legislative race.”
Chen and DPP officials have called for a thorough investigation into the case.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) figures have also been linked to the im.B scandal, including Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang (張善政) and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).
Photographs have circulated showing Chang with Focal Healthcare chairman Chen Cheng-hsiu (陳正修). Tseng had served as general manager at Focal Healthcare.
Chang yesterday said he could not remember at which event the photograph was taken, as he meets many people while campaigning, and it would be wrong to connect him to the case based on just a picture.
Chiang told Taipei City councilors that he did not know Chen Cheng-hsiu, saying that they should present evidence before accusing him of involvement in the company.
Founded in 2015 by Tseng, im.B, which is short for “I am bank,” enables users to borrow money from each other. The platform offered interest rates of 9 to 12 percent.
Investigators arrested Tseng earlier this month.
He conducted seminars across Taiwan, promising good returns for investors, prosecutors said, adding that fraudulent profits totaled about NT$2.5 billion (US$81.49 million).
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan, Chen Yun and Cheng Ming-hsiang
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