Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu-yi (邱毅) yesterday accused Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) of being involved in two syndicates which he said had embezzled billions of dollars from investors.
Chiu made the remarks in a press conference at the legislature, where dozens of people said that they had been deceived into investing in projects set up by the syndicates.
"Chen Yu-shen (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Investments
Chiu said that Lu had publicly endorsed Chen's investment projects, encouraging investors to back Chen's firms.
"Lu appealed to the investors saying that he had a very strong supporter in the Presidential Office. The `supporter' he referred to was Ma," Chiu said.
Chiu said that prosecutors had indicted Chen Yu-shen, who was then running the Futung Group (阜東集團), on fraud charges and racketeering in 2003, recommending a 14-year jail term, but that a verdict hadn't been reached until now.
"It was all because of Ma's intervention," Chiu said.
"Ma's illegal lobbying regarding Chen Yu-shen's lawsuit gave him another opportunity to embezzle more money from investors of Chant World International Co," Chiu said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Chen Chin-jun (
"Otherwise Chiu should resign from his legislative seat and take responsibility for his libelous comments," Chen Chin-jun said after attending a weekly meeting of the Presidential Office and the DPP legislative caucus.
Chiu also said that DPP Legislator Hsu Jung-shu (
Hsu denied this, saying she was also a victim.
Chiu last week accused Ma of other misconduct, such as being involved in stock speculation with other DPP officials.
"This week will be Ma's week," Chiu said, adding that he would expose more scandals related to Ma in the coming days.
Ma issued a statement late yesterday afternoon denying any knowledge of or connection to the people Chiu mentioned.
First lady
Meanwhile, Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山) yesterday told Chiu and another opposition legislator to step down or face a defamation lawsuit for falsely accusing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) and Ma.
KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (
The Presidential Office said it would file a slander suit against Lee, while Ma said he would not rule out filing a suit against KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (
Mark Chen said that Lee and Chiu should produce evidence to prove their allegations.
"It is no longer a legal issue, but has become a political problem," Mark Chen said. "It is regrettable to see irresponsible politicians shamefully holding on to their positions after repeatedly making groundless allegations, and to see the public and media tolerate this behavior."
Lee asked the Presidential Office to make public the numbers of the Sogo Department Store gift coupons which he said Wu had used.
Mark Chen said it was impossible to produce them because the first lady had not accepted them in the first place. He said the administration welcomed and was not afraid of constructive criticism and stringent scrutiny, but that any criticism must be based on facts.
Meanwhile, a group of young DPP legislators yesterday asked the Presidential Office to offer a concrete explanation for the recent accusations of corruption against Presidential Office officials. They also said that more than half of DPP legislators had agreed to the establishment of a legislative committee to monitor corruption
DPP Legislators Shen Fa-hui (
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we