Taiwan Official Resigns Amid Scandal
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s vice premier announced yesterday he would quit his job and resign from the ruling party, taking responsibility for a widening scandal in which $30 million worth of secret diplomatic funds have gone missing. Chiou I-jen’s resignation followed his disclosure late last week that he helped transfer the money to a Taiwanese middleman as part of an attempt to convince Papua New Guinea to drop its official recognition of China in favor of Taiwan.
Since then, the middleman and the money have disappeared.
“I feel deeply ashamed in the face of my country and people,” Mr. Chiou said in a brief statement yesterday. Prosecutors have blocked the presidential aide from leaving Taiwan pending a corruption investigation.
