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One of the top stories from this past week involved the Presidential Office denying rumors that President Ma Ying-jeou has shielded one of the main companies at the heart of a tainted oil scandal -- the Ting Hsin International Group.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo called the rumors groundless and regretful, saying that the Presidential Office has supported the Cabinet’s efforts to investigate suspects involved in the scandal and punish those found guilty.
She said that prosecutors’ offices around the country are investigating a total of 133 cases. Fifty-seven people, including former Ting Hsin boss Wei Ying-chun, have been indicted, and 21 are in custody. Investigators have also seized a total of NT$2.7 billion (roughly US$86 million) in cash, property and assets gained through the sale of tainted oil.
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Also this past week, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday that there is no timetable for the possible medical parole of former President Chen Shui-bian, who is serving a 20-year prison term for corruption.
The ministry was responding to media reports claiming that Chen could be home before Christmas. But the ministry has prepared a 15-member review team to determine if the ex-president should be allowed to recuperate at home. Chen has suffered bladder problems, brain degeneration, motor control problems and stuttering, among other issues. Several doctors who have examined him over the years have recommended release on medical parole. One of those doctors is newly-elected Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je.
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And finally this past week, Taoyuan County – which is the location of the main international airport serving Taipei -- will be given special municipality status on December 25. The new Taoyuan City will become Taiwan’s sixth special municipality. It will join the ranks of Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung as one of Taiwan’s top-ranking administrative divisions.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician Cheng Wen-tsan is slated to become the first mayor of the newly upgraded municipality. Local authorities promise that the shift from county to city will be smooth, and will mostly involve the formal reclassification of local townships and villages.