By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday accused former National Palace Museum (NPM) director Chou Kung-hsin (周功鑫) of taking bribes amounting to NT$3 million (US$102,850) from an architectural firm and said she should be prevented from leaving Taiwan.
There are suspicions that “Chou’s abrupt resignation in late July was an attempt to avoid controversy over her alleged involvement in several scandals,” Yao told a press conference yesterday.
Citing documents obtained from the Hakka Affairs Council, Yao said Chou was listed as a consultant for the Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center’s Miaoli Park project and was given NT$3 million by Ricky Liu (劉培森) & Associates, the architectural firm that won the bid in February 2008.
Yao said Liu’s firm had won most NPM bids since Chou was named NPM director in May 2008, adding that the company secured various construction project contracts for the Grand NPM Project (大故宮計畫) — which is to expand the museum’s exhibition area by five times — because of Chou’s influence.
Chou denied involvement in any illegal activities connected with Liu’s firm during a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Yuan on June 4.
Yao yesterday said he would submit all the documents to the Agency Against Corruption and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division and demanded that Chou be prevented from leaving Taiwan.
Chou has been implicated in several cases involving allegations concerning overseas bank accounts and two mansions in Shanghai as well as the illegal use of government funds.