TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Dingyue Development Corp Chair Chu Ya-hu (朱亞虎) admitted to charges of bribing government officials in the Core Pacific City case on Sunday (Sept. 29).
Chu was detained on Saturday at the request of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. After being interrogated, he confessed to the allegations. Evidence suggests that the former chair is implicated in bribery under the Anti-Corruption Act, CNA reported.
According to the Taipei District Court, Chu owns property overseas and has a strong incentive to flee. It also highlighted unresolved questions regarding Chu’s alleged criminal actions in coordination with Core Pacific City Chair Shen Ching-jing (沈慶京). Until the facts are clarified, there remains a risk that Chu may attempt to collude with co-conspirators or witnesses to lessen his culpability, the court said.
Former Taiwan People’s Party’s Chief Financial Officer Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) ) is also accused of accepting bribes and committing breach of trust in connection with the case. Lee denied the charges, but the court ruled to detain the former official, citing concerns over his potential collusion with co-conspirators or witnesses.
Both Chu and Lee were held incommunicado late last night, with strict prohibitions on communication and visits.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office is continuing its investigation into the financial flows of the case. On Friday, it conducted 29 raids and summoned 10 suspects and six witnesses.
Among the witnesses were Taipei City Police Captain Chen Wen-chung (陳文鐘) and two former secretaries of former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Huang Hsin-hsiang (黃心緗) and Huang Jie-ying (黃婕穎).
The Core Pacific City case centers around an increase in the floor area ratio at the shopping center in Songshan District from 392% to 840% during Ko’s administration. This led to suspicions of favoritism toward the developer.
Ko has been detained incommunicado as a defendant since Sept. 5 and is being investigated for allegedly receiving bribes from Core Pacific Group.