Tu Cheng Chun-chu (涂鄭春菊), a key figure in the murder case of Taiwan navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) and a related kickbacks scandal involving a naval ships purchase, "clarified her innocence" at a press conference yesterday
Tu, better known as "Mrs Tu" (
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Tu, a German-based arms broker, said that she succumbed to the press only after becoming tired of being hounded by the media, claiming that most of the media reports about her have been far from the truth.
Hsieh said that Tu, who returned to Taiwan to visit her sick elderly mother, has not been able to go to the hospital to see her mother since her return because of fears of being mobbed by reporters.
Tu fled Taiwan in late 1993 immediately after Yin was found murdered. Yin's body was found floating in Suao harbor on Dec. 9, 1993 -- several days after he had been collecting evidence about alleged irregularities concerning the navy's procurement of the four German-made minesweepers and six French-made Lafayette frigates.
Tu had previously claimed that she would return to Taipei only after authorities in Taiwan could ensure her personal protection.
In response to the rumors that prosecutors may enroll her in a program under the Witness Protection Law (證人保護法) -- which encourages criminals or gang members to testify against their colleagues -- both Tu and Hsieh expressed their anger about the reports, saying that she is not a suspect in the Yin murder case, and she is absolutely innocent.
Tu, however, said that she was willing to cooperate with investigators, and she would like to meet other witnesses face-to-face when she returns to Taiwan next time.
Tu was the broker between the suppliers of four German-made minesweepers and related parts and components and the Taiwan navy's weaponry acquirement program office, of which Yin was the director.
Although it is widely believed that she was not directly connected to Yin's murder, the return of Tu, a close friend of Yin, is expected to help police paint a clearer picture of the murder case and the related kickbacks scandal.
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
While Tu was holding her press conference, Yin's sister Hsing-wen (
According to Yin's sister, Tu had actually sent threatening mail to navy officials, including her brother, back in 1993 and therefore might be an accomplice in the case.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
RSS