Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday urged prosecutors to impose a travel ban on former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ahead of his planned trips to Malaysia and the US next month, amid reports that the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office plans to relaunch investigations into eight criminal cases involving Ma.
A report by Chinese-language Mirror Media said the office plans to summon Ma for questioning in the cases, which include allegedly soliciting former prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) to leak sensitive information; allegedly agreeing to waive royalty fees on the use of Taipei Dome property to benefit the Farglory Group and allegedly helping Fubon Bank to generate illegal profits in its merger with Taipei Bank.
DPP legislators Wang Ding-yu (王定宇), Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘), Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) and Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) called on prosecutors to issue a travel ban, saying it would prevent Ma from absconding and destroying evidence.
Photo: CNA
Wang called on prosecutors to reopen the probe into the alleged leak and the Taipei Dome case, saying that the Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office hastily concluded the cases before Ma stepped down in May to ensure his innocence.
The office is planning to question Ma over allegedly instigating Huang to reveal information to former premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) in 2013, but the case was wrongfully merged with another charge against Huang rather than being treated as a separate case, Wang said.
“As the president, Ma enjoyed immunity from prosecution, and investigations involving him were ended prematurely. Ma’s involvement in the leak and the Taipei Dome case are obvious, and the office should reopen those cases so that the public regains trust in the judiciary,” Wang said.
Tsai said the judge’s acceptance of the “reservoir theory,” which Ma used to defend his use of discretionary funds during his tenure as Taipei mayor was an obvious attempt to acquit Ma of embezzlement, adding that the office should act according to its conscience and re-examine those cases.
The Presidential Office, which green-lighted Ma’s planned trips, was solely concerned with the risks to national intelligence, while a potential travel ban would prevent absconding or spoliation of evidence, Tsai said.
In a recent poll, 53 percent of respondents said it was inappropriate for Ma to ask to visit foreign countries in the months after he stepped down, Lo said, adding that Ma should refrain from leaving the nation when he is expecting to face criminal investigation.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS