Yunlin prosecutors led a team of special agents from the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation in a raid on Yunlin County Commis-sioner Chang Jung-wei's (
The prosecutors said they suspected Chang might be involved in a bribery scandal regarding the construction of the Linnei Incinerator, which will be completed and begin operating in October.
PHOTO: CHEN TSAN-KUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
"We simply tried to collect more crucial information or evidence that may help us investigate this case. Other than this, please forgive me, but I cannot tell you more," said Tsai Chi-wen (
Two teams of special agents were directed by Tsai and his colleague, Huang Yu-feng (黃裕峰). Tsai's team arrived at Chang's residence in the morning. Although their raid surprised Chang, agents and prosecutors decided to confiscate Chang's day planner, which detailed his recent appointments, four huge boxes of office documents and one of his safes. The raid at Chang's residence lasted for approximately two-and-a-half hours.
While Tsai's team was raiding the commissioner's residence, Huang's team was raiding his office. But prosecutors refused to reveal what they discovered or confiscated at the commissioner's office.
Chang is on his annual vacation, but he was traveling alone, as his wife and children were at home when the investigators arrived.
According to the prosecutor's office, the investigation into alleged bribery began in June, when they received a tip-off from an anonymous Yunlin resident, who claimed that Yunlin government officials -- including Chang -- had accepted a huge bribe during the administrative process for starting construction on the incinerator.
Tsai then began summoning the government officials specificied in the allegations. He began with county Environmental Protection Bureau Director Yen Jia-hsien (顏嘉賢) and the bureau's fifth department chief, Juan Yun-sheng (阮雲生), in June. Yen and Juan were immediately detained after the interrogation, but they were both released without bail last week.
Last month, prosecutors summoned Linnei Township Mayor Chen Ho-shan (
Neither Tsai nor Huang would confirm whether the raid on Chang's residence yesterday was an indication that the commissioner was involved in the scandal.
"We were doing what was necessary. It does not mean we will arrest anybody. It does not mean we are looking for more suspects, either," Tsai said.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
SOLUTIONS NEEDED: Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers due to population decline, the minister of economic affairs said in Washington President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration is considering a plan to import labor to deal with an impending shortage of engineers and other highly skilled workers, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said in Washington on Tuesday. Kuo was leading a delegation attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers for high-end manufacturing jobs by 2040, he said. Ministry of Economic Affairs officials are still calculating the precise number of workers that are needed, as it works on loosening immigration restrictions and creating incentives, Kuo said. Taiwanese firms operating factories in the US and other countries would