The Taipei City Government’s Clean Government Committee is expected to reveal today the results of its probe into how Farglory Land Development Co’s (遠雄建設) had secured the Taipei Dome project, possibly calling for an investigation of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a former Taipei mayor, and whether he sought to benefit Farglory, media outlets have reported.
According to a report published yesterday by the Liberty Times, the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper, the committee has uncovered evidence of Ma and former Taipei Department of Finance commissioner Lee Sush-der (李述德) attempting to aid Farglory in the project.
According to the news report on the committee’s findings, the Taipei City Government under Ma had in December 2003 announced a draft contract for the Taipei Dome build-transfer-operate (BOT) project, but by October 2009, more than 90 percent of the contract had allegedly been changed.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The committee said that of the 180 subclauses in the contract, the Taipei City Government benefited from just two items, while Farglory benefited from 47.
The committee reportedly said that the city government was allegedly in violation of the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (促進民間參與公共建設法), adding that the removal of a clause obligating Farglory to use proceeds from subsidiary businesses in the Dome to subsidize the Dome’s sports facilities was in contravention of the act’s spirit.
The committee is reportedly calling for prosecutors to launch an investigation into the case.
The committee’s investigation task force includes lawyers Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍) and Yuan Shu-hui (袁秀慧), as well as city government consultant Hung Chih-kun (洪智坤).
While the Taipei City Government could pass the case to the district prosecutors’ office after the committee announces its allegations, or the lawyers could draft a report to expose the alleged illegal activity, Ma as president retains immunity from prosecution, the committee said, adding that as all members involved are ministers or above, the case might have to be transferred to the Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
The division, established in 2007, is tasked with investigating the head of state, central government officials and high-ranking military officers suspected of graft, as well as serious criminal allegations.
Yuan yesterday afternoon said that Ma and Lee were part of the first phase of the inquiry and that the committee would not exclude looking into former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) role in the second phase of the investigation.
The task force is not focused on Ma or Lee, but rather on any official in a position to influence policy decisions on the Taipei Dome project, Yuan said.
Meanwhile, Lee yesterday rejected the allegations and said neither he nor Ma tried to benefit Farglory.
The committee should not become Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) political executioner, Lee added.
Lee rejected claims of having held secret meetings with Farglory and said that the city government had constantly been at odds with the developer, adding that it sought only to benefit city residents and not the corporation.
“The mayor and the city government will be discussing the issue based on the committee’s report and all further action will have to wait until after the report is published,” Taipei City Government spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said.
Additional reporting by CNA
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said that the government would “lodge a solemn representation” with the US Trade Representative and continue negotiating with Washington to “ensure the interests of our nation and industries.” Trump at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on most goods
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS