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Old Posted Sep 9, 2013, 1:30 PM
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Ex-finance commissioner indicted over Twin Towers

By Lauly Li ,The China Post
September 5, 2013, 12:01 am TWN


TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted former Taipei Finance Department Commissioner Chiu Da-chan (邱大展) for his role in the controversial Twin Towers bidding process.



The Taipei District Prosecutors Office also indicted Taipei Gateway International Development Co., Ltd. (TGID, 太極雙星) Chairman Michael Ho (何岳儒), real estate developer Cheng Hung-tao (程宏道), TGID spokesman Wang Yo-ren (王佑仁) and former Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) official Chia Erh-ching (賈二慶).

Prosecutors charged Chiu with breach of trust; Ho, Cheng and Wang with fraud; and Chia with forgery.

TGID, the now-disqualified winner of a tender to build the Twin Towers project, in February failed to deposit a required guarantee of NT$1.89 billion. The indictment claims that TGID is a shell company.

Ho is accused of conspiring with Wang to mislead the Twin Towers' bidding review committee members to ensure that TGIF won the bid.

Prosecutors said that Chiu knew TGID's bidding documents did not reflect the firm's actual financial situation, but that he helped the firm to “cover up” the documents in the review committee meetings.

Chiu's actions misled review committee members and resulted in TGID unjustly winning the contract, severely tarnishing the image of the Taipei City Government and violating his obligations as finance commissioner, prosecutors said.

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon following the indictment, Chiu said that he has been working in government for over 35 years and that at no point in his career has he received a bribe or had inappropriate connections with a company.

The accusations in the indictment are false and he will prove his innocence in court, Chiu stated.

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said he respects Taipei prosecutors' jurisdiction in the Twin Towers investigation but refused to elaborate until having read the indictment.

Taipei government spokesman Edward Chang (張其強) said the city will read and discuss the indictment before deciding whether to nullify the entire Twin Towers bidding process and start again.

Prosecutors questioned Chiu over the project in August; the city later approved Chiu's resignation as commissioner. He currently serves as a government adviser.

Kuomintang City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) said it has been over 200 days since the Twin Towers scandal broke and that there has been no progress since then.

Ying said the government should apologize to its citizens over the delay.
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