Suspects in an investigation into accounting firms and companies linked to the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) were released on bail yesterday morning, a day after being questioned over allegations of fraud in campaign finance reporting.
Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), an accountant at Jing Hua CPA (精華會計師事務所) who was contracted by the TPP to handle financial reporting for TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) presidential bid, was released on bail of NT$1 million (US$30,945).
The amount was lowered after being initially set at NT$2 million.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Lee Wen-chuan (李文娟), director of marketing firm Muko (木可行銷公關), which handled events and merchandising for the campaign, was released on bail of NT$1.5 million.
They have been barred from leaving the country and are to wear electronic surveillance monitors.
Both are under investigation for forgery after discrepancies were found in TPP reporting of campaign payments to marketing firms.
The party earlier this week said that mistakes were made in 17 campaign finance declarations totaling about NT$18 million.
Tuanmu’s assistant Chen Wei-hsuan (陳韋瑄) and Muko accountant Ho Ai-ting (何璦廷) have also been named as suspects. Chen was released without bail, while Ho was released on bail of NT$500,000.
Figures within the TPP have blamed Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) for the situation and have demanded that she resign as a lawmaker.
Former TPP legislator Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如), a former aide to Ko , told reporters that Huang must take full responsibility for the scandal, as she was executive director of Ko’s campaign office for January’s election.
The party’s Central Evaluation Committee is to meet today to discuss the issue.
Huang, who was a Taipei deputy mayor from 2018 to 2022 while Ko was mayor of the capital, on Wednesday resigned as a member of the TPP Central Standing Committee.
“The case is being investigated and we should wait for the legal process to conclude,” Huang said. “I will respect any decision that the Central Evaluation Committee makes.”
TPP officials said that Tuanmu was in charge of the campaign expenses accounting and filing declarations to the Control Yuan, while Tuanmu has rejected accusations of wrongdoing.
Among the controversial account items was a campaign receipt for an order of boxed lunches from a Taipei restaurant totaling NT$960,110.
TPP spokeswoman Celina Wu (吳怡萱) said that there was a simple mistake when the figures were recorded.
“Actually, it was two receipts, one for NT$960 and another for NT$110, but they were mistakenly combined as NT$960,110,” Wu said. “We were also puzzled by the error.”
One receipt was dated last year and the other was from this year.
Wu said that it was unclear how the accountant had dealt with them.
“We are not sure if he filed the receipts together or separately in two declarations,” she said. “We will check the campaign expense declaration filed with the Control Yuan.”
Internet personality Liu Yu (劉宇), also known as Si Cha-mao (四叉貓), yesterday spoke with employees at the restaurant.
Liu said that the employees told him the restaurant is only open on weekdays, but the receipts showed that the sales took place on weekends.
The TPP needs to explain this discrepancy, he said.
Additional reporting by Chen Tsai-lin
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS