Hau turns flower price case to judiciary

Hau made the announcement at a press conference, after an investigation by the city government's ethics task force ended a week earlier than planned.

Investigators at the city government had completed interviews with employees handling the procurement project.

According to the initial findings, the total cost of NT$1.95 billion for the project was higher than the figure in the original budget plan, said Hau.

However, Join Engineering Consultants (JEC), which was awarded the contract, has refused to cooperate with the investigators to provide the necessary explanation.

The firm issued a statement on Friday saying it had completed the project “according to the instructions of the city government.”

In an earlier report to the city government in April 2008, JEC said that the three firms bidding for the project were forced to increase price quotations in view of factors like the rise in commodity prices.

Unable to get all the details, Hau said the city government will now seek the intervention of the judicial sector, via a thorough probe by the prosecutors, to get to the bottom of the allegations, said Hau.

In addition to the engineering firm, three city government employees will be subject to prosecutors' investigation, including a former director at the Department of New Construction Office, a former section chief at the Maintenance Office, and a former chief engineer.

Hau stressed that the probe will be absolutely transparent to clear any public doubts.

Established in 1976, JEC has a track record of being involved in major public construction development projects, such as bridge designs, maintenance and inspection, and structure safety monitoring.

The city government's decision to hand the case over to prosecutors was seen as an attempt to win public trust and prevent the mounting attacks from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which exploited the price controversy of the project by raising questions about the procurement prices for all flowers to be used in the upcoming Taipei International Flora Exposition.

The DPP's tactics have yielded some results as the party's candidate, Su Tseng-chang, has taken a slim lead over Hau in opinion polls. The pair will fight it out for electionin in the mayoral race on Nov. 27.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, stressed earlier that her party would not take advantage of the alleged overpricing issue for political gain, and said yesterday that the city government's latest move will not be enough to convince the public that no wrongdoing has taken place.

While visiting supporters in Sanchong City of Taipei County for the November election, Tsai said that the alleged overpricing scam could be more extensive and complicated than the initial probe results announced by Hau.

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