The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday denied allegations that Taiwan’s representative office in Germany had engaged in bribery. That’s following a Sunday report in the Taipei-based Apple Daily which linked Taiwan to accusations of bribery against German Parliamentarian Mark Hauptmann.
The report said Hauptmann purchased ad space in German newspapers, which he then used as a channel for receiving money from abroad. The report went on to say that Taiwan had purchased ads from Hauptmann.
Opposition Kuomintang Legislator Chen I-hsin added to the accusations via social media on Sunday. He said that Taiwan’s representative office in Germany had spent NT$800,000 (about US$28,000) on ads in a newspaper called Südthüringen Kurier. The lawmaker asked whether those purchases were made with the intent of bribing Hauptmann.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry responded by saying that Hauptmann is not a shareholder in the newspaper, and that he was not the recipient of the funds.
The foreign ministry says that Taiwan’s office in Germany has been placing ads in the Südthüringen Kurier since 2015. It says the purpose of the ads is to raise awareness about Taiwan.