Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted media mogul Lien Tai-sheng (練台生) and six others over a fire on April 26 that killed six people and injured 67 at a Cashbox Partyworld KTV in Taipei.
Weng Pei-wen (翁珮雯), the premise’s general manager, assistant manager Chang Hui-chun (張惠純), Chen Ssu-hung (陳思宏), a junior manager, senior assistant Hsieh Yung-kuei (謝勇奎), engineer Huang Ssu-ming (黃思銘) and a maintenance foreman, Wang Sheng-chieh (王聖傑), were also indicted.
Prosecutors charged the seven people with breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) and the Fire Services Act (消防法), along with offenses against public safety, negligence causing death or injury, and other charges linked to the blaze at the building on Linsen N Road in Zhongshan District (中山).
Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Taipei Times
Lien is chairman of Cashbox Partyworld Co and owner of Tee Kuang International Co, which leased the building to the KTV operator.
Lien is chairman of the ERA Group, which includes ERA Communications Co, a TV channel operator.
The investigation found serious wrongdoing and negligence preceding the fire, prosecutors said.
While the building was undergoing repairs, with new elevators being installed, five major safety systems — an indoor hydrant, automatic sprinklers, an automatic fire alarm, an emergency broadcasting system and smoke extraction equipment — were turned off, which was among the main reasons for the extent of the fire, prosecutors said.
On the morning of April 26, Wang plugged in a laser measuring device to recharge it in a fourth-floor storage room, investigators said.
The device overheated and exploded due to a faulty battery, which set alight material in the room, they said.
The fire burned unchecked floor by floor, because sprinklers, alarms and the other major safety systems were turned off after a decision by site managers, with the order approved by Lien, investigators said.
Paperwork and e-mails between Lien and the KTV’s managers and supervisors discussed the repair plans and work schedules, investigators said.
“The executives continued operating the KTV business while the repair work was ongoing, instead of closing down,” prosecutors said. “The reasons cited were revenue considerations and that other KTV locations were operating 24 hours a day.”
A search after the fire at the site and of Cashbox Partyworld offices found the e-mails and documents, with the key document stamped with Lien’s personal chops, prosecutors said.
The executives also failed to submit repair plans to the Taipei City Government and city fire officials as is required, prosecutors said.
Hsieh and Huang were in charge of the repair plans and work by contractors, and they knew that the building safety systems would have to be shut down during the main phases of the work, including the installation of the new elevators, prosecutors said.
Management also knew these details, but still permitted the business to operate while the work was ongoing, which put the lives of their customers in danger, prosecutors said.
The executives and site managers were negligent in their responsibilities to monitor and supervise the repair work, and they failed to conform to bylaws on fire prevention, prosecutors said.
Local media yesterday reported that Lien had reached an out-of-court settlement with families of the six people who died in the blaze.
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