Control Yuan Impeaches Three Former DPP Officials

Control Yuan Impeaches Three Former DPP Officials

Sources: All Taipei newspapers

July 6, 2009

The trial of the Longtan Science Park Land Deal case, in which both former President Chen Shui-bian and his wife had been implicated, continues at the Taipei District Court. Separately, the Control Yuan on July 3 impeached three former officials under the DPP administration, including Liu Shih-fang, former secretary-general of the Executive Yuan, Wei Che-ho, former chairman of the National Science Council (NSC), and James K.M. Lee, former director-general of the Hsinchu Science Park Administration (HSPA). The Control Yuan stated that the three ex-DPP officials “had curried favor with Chen Shui-bian and helped him seek personal gains by abusing his authority.” The impeachment stated that the three officials had wasted tens of billons of Taiwan dollars in public funds to purchase land unsuitable for the expansion of the science park, costing the government enormous losses.

The Control Yuan report stated that the former First Couple had received NT$ 400 million in kickbacks from Leslie Koo, president of Da-yu Company, which had owned the land, to ensure that the government agencies would purchase the Longtan land at an above market-value price. (Leslie Koo is son of the late Koo Chen-fu, Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation.) “The land purchase scandal was orchestrated by Chen Shui-bian with the collaboration of Liu, Lee, and Wei,” added the Control Yuan report.

Members of the Control Yuan pointed out that as the Cabinet secretary general, Liu Shih-fang had usurped then Premier Yu Shyi-kun’s authority by privately sending out an official communication approving the merger of the Longtan land with the Hsinchu Science Park in order to complete the land deal on time. The impeachment stressed that Liu had violated the procedures governing official communications by usurping the Premier’s authority.

James K.M. Lee had not only covered up the fact that the Longtan land was unsuitable as a science park, but had also received bribes totaling NT$ 30 million. Wei Che-ho was impeached because he had neglected the NSC’s supervisory functions by not being present when the land deal contract between Da-yu Company and the HSPA was signed.

Opposition DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen yesterday questioned the impeachment of three officials serving in the former DPP administration. The Control Yuan's impeachment, coming at this time, is “more or less political, and the highest government watchdog should show more caution in their follow-up moves,” said the DPP chairwoman.

The DPP chief said she had yet to study the impeachment in detail, but she did not believe there were major problems with procedures undertaken for the land purchase.

Tsai said judging from her own experience as vice premier, the Cabinet usually was very cautious handling such a major project, and the chances of major procedural problems occurring were slim.

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