The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday accused New Taipei City (新北) Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of potential corruption and his wife of receiving benefits from illegal public bids involving companies owned by her father.
The new accusations came one day after the TSU accused Chu and his father-in-law, Kao Yu-jen (高育仁), of violating the Act on Recusal of Public Servants Due to Conflicts of Interest (公務人員利益衝突迴避法) because the Kao family had secured government projects worth almost NT$1.2 billion (US$40 million) over the past 12 years while Chu served as Taoyuan County commissioner, vice premier and New Taipei City mayor.
According to the TSU, FiberLogic Communications, a technology firm that Kao established in 1999, won 12 government bids — including five limited tenders — totaling NT$1.18 billion between 2001 and last year, which could constitute a conflict of interest.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chu’s wife, Kao Wan-chien (高婉倩), has been a shareholder of FiberLogic and several companies that own FiberLogic stock for more than 10 years and served as supervisor for three shareholding companies, TSU Legislator Yeh Chin-ling (葉津鈴) said, citing a Control Yuan public servant property declaration report from 2012.
“Since Chu and his wife submitted the declaration together as spouses, Chu should have been aware of the investment. He could have also received benefits from those government bids as Kao Wan-ching’s husband,” TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
Chu said yesterday that he would not tolerate anyone in his family making illegal profits, but neither did he want any family member to be falsely accused because of his job.
Chu stressed that his property declaration report had been scrutinized by the Control Yuan and the media, and called the TSU allegation a “cheap shot.”
He did not elaborate on his wife’s and his father-in-law’s shareholdings.
On Monday, the New Taipei City Government said that the TSU’s accusation was a political ploy because Lin Chih-chia is mulling entering the city’s mayoral election in November.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS