DPP USING LAFAYETTE FILES FOR ELECTION PURPOSES: KMT CHAIRMAN
ROC Central News Agency
2005-11-24 17:38:52
Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thursday of using the files on the Lafayette frigate kickback scandal to boost its election campaign.
The DPP's legislative caucus said it has "first-hand data" on the flows of US$486 million in kickbacks from the frigate deal and demanded that former Premier Hau Pei-tsun and two other senior military officers open up their bank accounts to see if they had taken any money from the deal.
Ma ridiculed the DPP for acting in a way reminiscent of the "bad old days" of KMT rule, when "the ruling party and the government acted in concert on everything."
He stressed that even if a crime had been committed in this case, the KMT had "paid the price" -- losing the reins of government in 2000 -- so now the party's candidates need not suffer the party's sins of long ago. The scandal occurred in the early 1990s.
But the ruling DPP is now acting as if telling the KMT supporters, "Your guys had taken so much dirty money while we are taking so little, how can you blame us?" Ma said.
He said the Swiss files were intended for prosecution investigation; if national security officials want to read them, they must first get approval from the prosecution or a court.
(By S.C. Chang)
ENDITEM/mw
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