Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday urged a three-member task force at his foundation to expedite its investigation into alleged breaches of financial discipline involving two former employees.
In a statement, Ma said the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation presented evidence and witness information at a board meeting on March 27 in a case involving Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) and Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈).
Hsiao, currently a vice chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), previously served as the foundation’s chief executive, while Wang was a staff member.
Photo: Taipei Times
Ma added that the materials were shared with all board members — three of whom serve on the task force — for a second time via text messages and the Line messaging app on April 8 and Tuesday last week, and were also sent by registered mail on Friday.
He urged the task force to complete its investigative report as soon as possible.
The task force last week said that it had not received all information and data for the probe before its meeting on Monday next week.
Meanwhile, Ma called on the two accused people to present their case or counterevidence through the investigation rather than making media statements that could harm the foundation or his reputation.
The foundation would seek legal remedies if the alleged breaches of financial discipline are confirmed and clear the two if the investigation finds no wrongdoing, the former president said.
Following Hsiao and Wang’s departures in late February, there have been claims of a “power struggle” at the foundation, which was established in 2018 by Ma.
The nonprofit aims to provide a platform for public policy discussion on issues such as youth development, culture and cross-strait relations. It also conducts policy research, forums and youth programs to “bring together perspectives from different generations and explore policy ideas,” the foundation says.
In an interview with the Chinese-language United Daily News late last month, Ma said the departure of Hsiao and Wang involved alleged breaches of financial discipline, citing their frequent trips to China and interactions with Taiwanese businesspeople there.
Responding to Hsiao’s statement that all personnel and pay decisions had Ma’s approval and that Ma had “forgotten many things,” the former president asked: “Is that really the case?”
Ma, 76, said that occasional forgetfulness is natural at his age, but not frequent.
Hsiao rejected the allegations and said Ma might have been misinformed.
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