A Taipei City councilor has accused one of Taiwan's most prominent former police chiefs of living beyond his means and has demanded an explanation.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) said that Ding Yuan-chin (丁原進) -- former head of the National Police Administration and previous chief of the Taipei City Police Headquarters -- purchased an upscale villa in Taipei's Wenshan District at a price much lower than its market value at the time.
The city councilor alleged that the preferential treatment given to Ding shaved NT$16.1 million off the price of the house.
Lee also claimed that Ding has refused to pay an interior decorator NT$4.7 million in redecoration expenses -- a sum which is now seven months overdue.
While Ding was unavailable to comment, his son, Ding Chao-chi (
Lee, who made the allegation at the city council yesterday morning, said that his own investigation showed that in 1999 Ding paid only half of the market price to buy the 14th and 15th floor of the 16-story Universal Villa (
"While the unit price of the villa cost about NT$350,000 per ping at that time, Ding spent only NT$200,000 per ping. In other words, it cost Ding only NT$21.4 million for the 107-ping, two-story house," Lee said.
If the price had not been lowered it should have cost Ding NT$37.5. million, Lee said, adding that it seemed suspicious for a civil servant, earning a modest salary, to buy a house with NT$21.4 million in cash.
"I call on Ding to offer us an explanation about his source of funding. Did he or did he not accept any preferential treatment from [construction tycoon] Ong Da-ming (
Ong is the CEO of the Hualon Corp (
Ding's son denied that the apartment had been purchased at a lower price because of his father's connections with Ong.
"I don't see the necessity of offering an explanation to the public about how we managed to purchase the house," he said.
Lee said he brought up the issue of unpaid design expenses at the request of Ding's interior designer, Ko Wen-cheng (
Producing detailed documentation of the project yesterday, Ko said that Ding has paid only about NT$3 million out of the total bill of NT$8 million, which was due at the end of last year.
Ding Chao-chi, however, said that the original quote they agreed upon was NT$4.5 million, but that the bill was later inflated to NT$7.8 million.
"We've already paid NT$3 million, but he's been asking us to pay NT$4 million more while the project is not even complete," he said.
According to Ko, the marble floor laid in the living room, kitchen, and restrooms was the most expensive item, accounting for NT$4.3 million. Two imported jacuzzies also carried a price tag of NT$175,000 apiece.
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
SECURITY CONCERNS: An FBI agent said it was surprising that the shooter, whose motive remains unknown, was able to open fire before the Secret Service killed him On the heels of an apparent attempt to kill him, former US president Donald Trump yesterday called for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him injured, but “fine,” and the shooter and a rally-goer dead. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,” he