The Tainan City government is aggressively collecting evidence that can be used in a lawsuit against the construction company that built the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan. Tainan Mayor William Lai made the comments on Thursday.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocked Tainan last Saturday. As of Thursday night (local time), of the 61 total quake-related deaths, at least 59 are confirmed dead at the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong complex. Another 63 were still reported missing.
Authorities have already arrested three of the developers – including the chairman of the building company Lin Ming-hui, and architects Chang Kui-bao and Cheng Chin-kui – under suspicion of professional negligence leading to loss of life. Authorities detained them on Tuesday over concerns that they might collude with other suspects.
Prosecutors have found that the Weiguan Jinlong complex was not designed by the firm that received approval to build it. They also found that the company that built the complex had borrowed a license from another company in order to get a construction permit.
Tainan’s Mayor Lai says that the city will move to seize the developer’s assets by Monday at the earliest.