Taichung City mayor Lin Chia-lung has referred the Taiwan Tower project to the Agency Against Corruption for investigation.
The project was initiated by Lin’s predecessor Jason Hu. On Thursday Lin said that there are several suspected irregularities in the project, including a possibly illegal bidding process and a lack of budget control.
The mayor said that the project’s budget has been changed four times and the cost of the building’s steelwork is excessively high. In January, Lin announced his decision to suspend the project, citing concerns over safety and a proposed doubling of its budget.
The planned 318-meter building had been intended to be a landmark for the central city. The tower was to be built on a 4.4 hectare plot and was billed as "the Taiwanese Eiffel Tower". Construction on the project had not yet begun.