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.
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