Ex-President Ma urges swift probe into alleged financial breaches

Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Monday urged a three-member task force at his foundation to expedite its investigation into alleged breaches of financial discipline involving two former employees.

In a statement, Ma said the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation presented relevant evidence and witness information at a board meeting on March 27 in a case involving Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) and Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈).

Hsiao, currently a vice chairman of the Kuomintang, previously served as the foundation's chief executive, while Wang was a staff member.

Ma added that the materials were shared with all board members -- three of whom serve on the task force -- for a second time via text messages and the LINE messaging app on April 8 and 14, and were also sent by registered mail on April 17.

He urged the task force to complete its investigative report as soon as possible.

The investigation task force said last week that it had not received all relevant information and data for the probe before its April 13 meeting.

Meanwhile, the former president called on the two accused men to present their case or counterevidence through the investigation process, rather than making media statements that could harm the foundation or his reputation in an attempt to influence the probe's outcome.

Legal remedies

Ma stressed that the foundation will seek legal remedies if the alleged breaches of financial discipline are confirmed, and clear the two if the investigation finds no wrongdoing.

Following Hsiao and Wang's departures in late February, there have been claims of a "power struggle" at the foundation, which was established in 2018 by Ma, the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2016.

The non-profit organization aims to provide a platform for public policy discussion on issues such as youth development, culture and cross-strait relations. It also conducts policy research, forums and youth programs to "bring together perspectives from different generations and explore policy ideas," according to the foundation.

In an interview with the Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News in late March, Ma said the departure of Hsiao and Wang involved alleged breaches of financial discipline, citing their frequent trips to China and interactions with Taiwanese businesspeople there.

Responding to Hsiao's claim that all personnel and pay decisions had his approval and that Ma had "forgotten many things," Ma asked, "Is that really the case?"

Ma, 76, said during the interview that occasional forgetfulness is natural at his age but not frequent. "I have always kept a clear line between right and wrong in how I conduct myself and handle matters; when it comes to finances, things must be kept absolutely transparent."

Hsiao rejected the allegations, saying the trips were for youth exchanges and did not involve businesspeople. He denied any breach of trust and suggested Ma may have been misinformed.

"I reported everything before and after the trips. Now there are suspicions about this and that -- I feel quite helpless," Hsiao added.

The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation released a statement on March 16 that it has appointed former board member and University of Taipei professor Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) as its executive director after Hsiao and Wang completed their departure procedures at the end of February.

"Any future remarks or actions by the two will not represent the position of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation or former President Ma Ying-jeou," it said, without further elaboration.