One of the main reasons the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lost power in the 2000 election was corruption and “black gold” politics.
This “black gold” basically consisted of questionable relations between the KMT and businesses. This year, questionable relations between politics and business led to the jailing of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
However, the investigation into Chen’s alleged money laundering by the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) has revealed another questionable type of relationship between the government and business world that has made the public lose trust in the judicial system.
The SIP summoned former Chinatrust Financial Holding Co vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒) back to Taiwan from Japan. Prosecutors first went to Japan, where Koo has been on the run for two years, to meet him in secret. Koo then decided to return home to face questioning. Media reports said Koo’s confession was in line with what the SIP was looking for.
Despite being a fugitive for two years, Koo surprisingly was not detained, had no restrictions placed on where he could live or on traveling outside the country. This clearly shows that Koo and the SIP made a deal before he returned home.
It is hard to know exactly what agreements were reached but the SIP obviously made huge sacrifices in terms of judicial fairness.
What we can be certain of is that more examples of injustice and secret dealings will become apparent in the handling and prosecution of Chen and Koo.
So far the SIP has taken over all six criminal cases involving Koo, giving it complete control of the investigations and a lot of bargaining chips when dealing with the Koo family.
But since the SIP conducted a secret meeting with a wanted criminal in Japan, it may find itself in a dilemma during future investigations and prosecutions. It will also be hard for it to regain the public’s trust.
The SIP not only sent a prosecutor to meet a wanted criminal and make an under-the-table deal for his return, it also asked for a NT$100 million (US$3 million) bail deal from the court to cover up the agreement.
This highlights the exchange of interests and a special relationship between the government and the business world, even though this time around the prosecutors are doing the Koo family a favor.
When Koo returned to Taiwan, his father, Chinatrust Financial Holding Co chairman Jeffrey Koo (辜濂松), just happened to be in Peru accompanying former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) at the APEC summit.
This clearly shows the relationship the government and the business world have formed since President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government came to power.
Lin Chien-cheng is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Chiao Tung University.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON AND EDDY CHANG
Taiwan’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship is an historic achievement. Yet once again this achievement is marred by the indignity of the imposed moniker “Chinese Taipei.” The absurdity is compounded by the fact that none of the players are even from Taipei, and some, such as Paiwan catcher Giljegiljaw Kungkuan, are not even ethnically Chinese. The issue garnered attention around the Paris Olympics, yet fell off the agenda as Olympic memories retreated. “Chinese Taipei” persists, and the baseball championship serves as a reminder that fighting “Chinese Taipei” must be a continuous campaign, not merely resurfacing around international
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) appears to be encountering some culture shock and safety issues at its new fab in Arizona. On Nov. 7, Arizona state authorities cited TSMC for worker safety violations, fining the company US$16,131, after a man died in May. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health released its six-month investigation into the fatality and cited TSMC for failing to keep the workplace free from hazards likely to cause death or serious harm. At about the same time, the chip giant was also sued for alleged discriminatory hiring practices favoring Asians, prompting a flurry of debate on whether TSMC’s
This month, the National Health Insurance (NHI) is to implement a major policy change by eliminating the suspension-and-resumption mechanism for Taiwanese residing abroad. With more than 210,000 Taiwanese living overseas — many with greater financial means than those in Taiwan — this reform, catalyzed by a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, underscores the importance of fairness, sustainability and shared responsibility in one of the world’s most admired public healthcare systems. Beyond legal obligations, expatriates have a compelling moral duty to contribute, recognizing their stake in a system that embodies the principle of health as a human right. The ruling declared the prior
US president-elect Donald Trump is inheriting from President Joe Biden a challenging situation for American policy in the Indo-Pacific region, with an expansionist China on the march and threatening to incorporate Taiwan, by force if necessary. US policy choices have become increasingly difficult, in part because Biden’s policy of engagement with China, including investing in personal diplomacy with President Xi Jinping (習近平), has not only yielded little but also allowed the Chinese military to gain a stronger footing in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. In Xi’s Nov. 16 Lima meeting with a diminished Biden, the Chinese strongman signaled little
RSS