The Presidential Office is questioning the impartiality of the Taipei City Clean Government Committee, which recently said prosecutors should investigate President Ma Ying-jeou’s role in the construction of the Taipei Dome.
In a newly released report, the committee said that it is clear that during his term as Taipei mayor, President Ma Ying-jeou had used his authority to benefit Farglory Land Development Co., the company that’s building the Taipei Dome.
The construction project has come into question after it failed to pass a safety evaluation. A city safety inspection committee found that overbuilding in the area could hinder an evacuation in the event of an emergency. It recommended that either the Taipei Dome or a neighboring shopping mall be demolished.
Presidential Office Spokesman Charles Chen responded on Saturday to calls for prosecutors to investigate the president’s role in the construction project back when he was mayor. Chen said that the members of the Clean Government Committee, which is investigating the Taipei Dome project, are connected to the opposition. Chen called into question their impartiality and credibility, saying that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je will have to bear the political responsibility if prosecutors investigate the president.
Chen said that the president has always governed in accordance with the law, and that he has never used his authority to give preferential treatment. He said that everything the president has said and done can stand up to the most rigorous of investigations.