HD Renewable Energy Co (HDRE) and other firms implicated in corruption probes into the green energy sector have links to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians and financial backers, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials said at a news conference yesterday.
KMT officials and their supporters should scrutinize their own involvement in these green energy scandals, instead of attacking the government and the ruling party following the opening of an investigation by Taipei prosecutors earlier this week, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said.
The probe led to the detention of Cheng Yi-lin (鄭亦麟), who was deputy executive director of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Green Energy Industry Promotion Center, as well as the questioning of executives of Taipei-based Tungwei Construction and HDRE, which specializes in solar power technology.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Cheng is accused of using his position to “pressure” green energy firms and state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to take bribes in contravention of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), having personal assets of unproven origin, and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), prosecutors said.
Wu said that recent attacks by opposition parties and their supporters produced disinformation, alleging Cheng was a party patronage appointment, adding that KMT official Ling Tao (凌濤) accused HDRE of having close links to the DPP.
HDRE chairman Hsieh Yuan-yi (謝源一) “is the son-in-law of KMT old guard Chang Ya-chung (張亞中)” and is a big donor to the KMT, Wu said, adding that companies under Hsieh’s management had made considerable financial contributions to back the election campaigns of New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the KMT.
KMT members must stop practising double standards, as they blame corruption probes in the green energy sector on DPP politicians and local governments, when it is KMT members who are embroiled in the majority of these cases, Wu said.
“We support judicial investigations that apply the same standards, regardless of party affiliation, to root out bribery and corruption, and all forms of unlawful activities,” he said.
Developing sustainable green energy is of vital importance for Taiwan’s industries and the workforce, he said.
It must not become a means for personal profiteering through bribes and payoffs by a few firms and people, he said.
The DPP has always supported this stance, Wu said, adding that the party is in full support of investigations and prosecution of anyone who uses green energy for corrupt ends.
Wu cited numerous corruption cases involving KMT politicians in the field of green energy, such as former KMT legislators Sra Kacaw and Sufin Siluko, former Yunlin County Council speaker Shen Chung-lung (沈宗隆), KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言), former deputy premier Woody Duh (杜紫軍), and several other party politicians.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS