News in brief: Taiwan Minister of Agriculture, Chen Chi-chung, denies allegations of fraud related to egg imports amidst calls for an investigation by prominent citizens.
Taiwanâs Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung has denied allegations of fraud concerning the importation of eggs into the country, a news report claims.
His denial comes amidst calls for an investigation into the matter by prominent Taiwanese citizens, including Kuomintang KMT presidential candidate, Hou Yu-ih.
The government of Taiwan imported eggs into the country to deal with scarcity due to an avian flu outbreak. It chose several countries as sources of imports for the produce to boost domestic stock and consumption.
However, opposition politicians have called out the government over what they described as financial irregularities that they say taints the process.
Chi-Chung called for a special news conference on Wednesday, September 5, to address the issues raised. He expressly refuted allegations of misdeeds by the government in handling the matter.
The minister denied any involvement with Ultra Source Ltd, a company involved in illegal profiteering from imports. Also, claims of payment of subsidies to egg importers by government were refuted.
He stated that the company did not import eggs from Brazil as had been alleged by opposition politicians. Industry stakeholders had called for a ban on livestock imports from Brazil because it was suspected as the source of the outbreak.
The minister described the allegations of fraud against him as ‘baseless’ and ‘malicious’. He further maintained that government had followed due process in awarding contracts for the egg imports.
Another notable opposition politician, Hou Yu-Ih, said the agriculture ministerâs responses to the allegations were not satisfactory. He subsequently demanded an independent inquiry into the allegations.
The claims of fraud have cast a shadow on Taiwanâs governmentâs abilities in managing the policy, a news commentary said.
They had previously been criticised for failing to act quickly in response to the avian influenza outbreak. The government also received negative ratings over the safety of imported eggs. Investigations into the matter are underway.
Taiwan had been in the news recently over high egg prices to cover production costs and to meet demand.
