Former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) was questioned yesterday as a witness over the kickback and murder scandal involving Taiwan's 1991 purchase of Lafayette-class frigates.
Siew issued a statement after the questioning stating that in 1990, as the then-minister of economic affairs, he had been invited to visit France. During the trip, Siew said, French officials expressed serious concern over a growing trade deficit between the two countries. Siew then suggested that France could narrow the deficit by agreeing to sell fighter jets and warships to Taiwan.
"Then-premier Hau Pei-tsun (
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
The government's original plan in 1988 was to purchase South Korean-made frigates, but it decided in 1990 to purchase the French-made Lafayette frigates instead.
Prosecutors are attempting to determine why the government changed its mind over the warship procurement.
A special prosecutorial panel investigating the high-profile scandal earlier this month subpoenaed former deputy chief of the general staff Hsia Tien (
Hsia, who accompanied Hau on a trip to France in 1989, filed a cable during their France visit on Hau's orders asking the navy to suspend the plan to procure the South Korean-made frigates.
The cable is believed to detail the government's about-face on the frigate procurement.
The subpoena of Siew and Hsia paved the way for Hau's questioning.
The special prosecutorial panel said it would summon Hau for questioning this week.
Prosecutors may subpoena other former policymakers involved in the Lafayette-class frigate procurement, including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Lee has previously said that he was not involved in the decision-making process over the warship procurement, and that he did not have the power to interfere with military affairs.
Lee assumed office in 1988, after former president Chiang Ching-kuo (
The special prosecutorial panel has scrutinized a large number of Swiss court files believed to be related to the kickback scandal.
They include information about 46 bank accounts in the name of Andrew Wang (
The files also include details on a number of previously unexposed overseas bank accounts related to the US$2.8 billion Lafayette deal, as well as information about account transactions.
Andrew Wang fled the country following the death of naval Captain Yin Ching-feng (
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