Former KMT official claims party still holds significant assets; insiders welcome disclosure

Former chairman of the Kuomintang's (KMT) Party Property Committee, Liu Tai-ying, has asserted that the party still holds substantial assets. Liu stated that many of these assets were initially registered under nominees' names. He explained that due to political transitions and the subsequent passing of these nominees, recovering these assets became challenging, effectively turning them into the nominees' private property.

Liu recalled that during his tenure, a detailed list of these assets existed, along with written agreements with the nominees. He mentioned facing difficulties in recovering assets registered under former Premier Hao Po-tsun's name but ultimately succeeded. Liu estimated that the assets recovered at the time were worth tens of billions of New Taiwan Dollars based on market value.

He further elaborated that the situation became irretrievable when the nominee passed away, as their heirs often denied the KMT's claim to the assets. Liu also suggested that after Lee Teng-hui stepped down as KMT chairman, many party assets were diverted into private hands, with external parties unaware of the extent. He implied that the assets recovered by the Tsai Ing-wen administration were only a fraction of the total, and many former KMT elites became immensely wealthy from these diverted assets.

In response, individuals within the KMT expressed that "that page of history has long been turned." They welcomed Liu's public disclosure, stating, "If there are any KMT assets that can be legally pursued now, we welcome him to make them public, as the KMT is really short of money now!" However, they also criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for freezing KMT assets under the guise of transitional justice, calling it "new transitional injustice" and a source of social division.