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Taiwan government files 42m suit at Singapore High Court
1 Feb 2010
The Taiwan government has filed a lawsuit at the High Court to retrieve 42 million Sing dollars (US 29.8 million) in a multi-million dollar diplomatic scandal.
The lawsuit involves two men, government-appointed Mr Ching Chi Ju and businessman Wu Shih Tsai.
T
he duo acted as intermediaries in Taiwan's discussions with Papua New Guinea to establish full diplomatic ties in August 2006.
After an agreement was signed between both governments, the two men were given 42 million Sing dollars to be used for technological aid to Papua New Guinea.
The money was deposited into an OCBC Bank account in Singapore under the names of Mr Ching and Mr Wu.
But the diplomatic discussions fell through in October 2006 and the Taiwanese government wanted the money back.
Then in December, Mr Ching was supposed to meet a Taiwanese government official in Singapore to return the money, but did not do so.
Subsequently, both he and the money went missing.
Mr Wu, a Singaporean, was sentenced to two years and four months jail last October after being convicted of forging a document in 2008.
He had tried to mislead officials into thinking that the money was still in an OCBC Bank account in Singapore.
The Taiwan government has since retrieved 2.1 million Sing dollars from Mr Wu.
Mr Ching will be testifying at the trial via a video conference from the United States.
He claims that some 14 million Sing dollars was his remuneration for being a secret emissary from 1995 to 2006 to improve the relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China.
The remaining sum was used by Mr Wu to establish a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan and Papua New Guinea and also for the two men's role as intermediaries.
Taiwan's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Huang Chih-Fang, who assumed the position from 2006 to 2008, took the stand today.
Mr Huang testified that an account under the two men was set up here and that some 42 million Sing dollars were banked into that account.
He also said he wasn't aware of any emissary role played by Mr Ching.
Mr Huang will continue to take the stand tomorrow.
1 Feb 2010
The Taiwan government has filed a lawsuit at the High Court to retrieve 42 million Sing dollars (US 29.8 million) in a multi-million dollar diplomatic scandal.
The lawsuit involves two men, government-appointed Mr Ching Chi Ju and businessman Wu Shih Tsai.
T
he duo acted as intermediaries in Taiwan's discussions with Papua New Guinea to establish full diplomatic ties in August 2006.
After an agreement was signed between both governments, the two men were given 42 million Sing dollars to be used for technological aid to Papua New Guinea.
The money was deposited into an OCBC Bank account in Singapore under the names of Mr Ching and Mr Wu.
But the diplomatic discussions fell through in October 2006 and the Taiwanese government wanted the money back.
Then in December, Mr Ching was supposed to meet a Taiwanese government official in Singapore to return the money, but did not do so.
Subsequently, both he and the money went missing.
Mr Wu, a Singaporean, was sentenced to two years and four months jail last October after being convicted of forging a document in 2008.
He had tried to mislead officials into thinking that the money was still in an OCBC Bank account in Singapore.
The Taiwan government has since retrieved 2.1 million Sing dollars from Mr Wu.
Mr Ching will be testifying at the trial via a video conference from the United States.
He claims that some 14 million Sing dollars was his remuneration for being a secret emissary from 1995 to 2006 to improve the relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China.
The remaining sum was used by Mr Wu to establish a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan and Papua New Guinea and also for the two men's role as intermediaries.
Taiwan's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Huang Chih-Fang, who assumed the position from 2006 to 2008, took the stand today.
Mr Huang testified that an account under the two men was set up here and that some 42 million Sing dollars were banked into that account.
He also said he wasn't aware of any emissary role played by Mr Ching.
Mr Huang will continue to take the stand tomorrow.
