The Taipei City Government has convened an ad hoc committee to consider halting the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project, as reports indicated that Taipei prosecutors would soon wrap up their corruption probe into the development and announce formal charges.
Headed by Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川), the committee would assess the outcome of the probe and any charges filed before determining a course of action, including halting construction, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told reporters yesterday.
The committee includes officials from the Taipei Department of Urban Development, Taipei Construction Management Office and other city agencies, including the departments of legal affairs and government ethics, along with experts and academics, Chiang said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The investigation into the development of Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall, in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) started amid suspicion about the sharp increase in the floor area ratio (FAR) from 560 percent to 840 percent during Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) tenure as mayor from 2014 to 2022.
Ko has been detained and held incommunicado without charge for more than 100 days as part of the probe.
He is among more than 20 people being investigated in relation to the development, including other city officials and Core Pacific Group (威京集團) founder and chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), who prosecutors said paid NT$47.4 million (US$1.45 million) in bribes to sway government officials to increase the FAR.
Taipei Department of Urban Development officials had said they would meet within two weeks of a formal indictment, and based on the investigation would rescind portions of the FAR and revoke the project’s permit.
Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) of the Social Democratic Party said Chiang and his administration had been dragging their feet in responding to the probe.
“They should not wait for an indictment to decide to revoke the project’s construction permit,” she said.
The Control Yuan already conducted an investigation and determined that the project had contravened land use and development regulations stipulated under the Urban Planning Act (都市計畫法), she said.
“Chiang and city officials have been too slow and taken action too late,” Miao said, adding that although most people are aware of the accusations, Chiang was waiting on a formal indictment.
“Maybe he will say: ‘Let us wait until the appeals and the final verdict on the case,’ before the city government would conduct an investigation and take appropriate measures,” she said.
“Taipei residents would not accept such a delayed response from Chiang. He and the city government are clearly waiting to find excuses to protect corporations, to drag out the process to allow the project’s completion,” she added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS