Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday threatened to take legal action against the Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine if it failed to clarify its accusations alleging his role in a corruption scandal.
In defending his innocence against the allegations, Wu said he has applied for telephone call records of all his family members to dismiss the allegation that calls were made to Wu Men-chung (吳門忠), a family friend who was allegedly involved in the case.
Wu Den-yih denied that his wife, Tsai Ling-yi (蔡令怡), had made a telephone call to Wu Men-chung last week to confirm his family relations with Cheng Tsai-mei (程彩梅). Cheng is the girlfriend of businessman Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥), who allegedly bribed former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世) with NT$63 million (US$2.15 million) to secure contracts with China Steel Corp (中鋼) and its subsidiaries.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Wu Men-chung, a votes broker for the vice president in his Nantou County hometown, is the father of the daughter-in-law of Chen’s girlfriend.
Wu Men-chung admitted on Wednesday that he had accepted NT$10 million from Chen for introducing him to local legislators for help, including Lin.
The vice president yesterday said he and his family had no knowledge about Wu Men-chung’s behavior and said he would prove his and his wife’s innocence by producing their telephone records.
“Whether Wu Men-chung took money from Chen or not, it’s none of my business. I did not make any calls to him recently, and he did not call me or my wife, either,” he said.
“I am willing to accept public examination using magnifier, microscope or telescope. However, please do not make up stories with distorting mirrors,” he added.
Next Magazine has linked Wu Den-yih to the case by making accusations that Lin bragged about his relations with Wu Den-yih when asking for bribes from Chen, saying he was handling all of Wu Den-yih’s matters.
Wu yesterday asked the magazine for a correction and said he could file a lawsuit if it failed to clarify the issue.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
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