離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Han releases financial records, demands apology
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu speaks in Kaohsiung yesterday, seeking to clarify questions over campaign funding. Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
By Ko Yu-hao, Wang Jung-hsiang and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu （韓國瑜） yesterday released financial records from his mayoral campaign last year after former Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） legislator Alex Tsai （蔡正元） claimed that Han received NT$40 million （US$1.3 million） in donations raised by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih （吳敦義）.
According to the records, Han’s campaign raised NT$129,149,779 in donations, of which NT$114,087,536 was spent and more than NT$5 million were returned to the donors.
Individual donations accounted for about 87 percent of the money he raised, while donations from for-profit businesses, political parties and other sources made up about 9 percent, 0.1 percent and 4 percent respectively, the records showed.
Han received 22,409 contributions from individual donors, with each contribution averaging NT$4,813, according to the records.
He received 160 donations from for-profit businesses, averaging NT$72,689 each, the records showed.
The records disprove claims that he received a NT$40 million donation, Han said in a statement.
The numbers in the records have been audited and certified by an accountant, he said, but added that the final numbers still have to be reviewed and posted by the Control Yuan.
Han on Friday vowed that he would resign as mayor if he had accepted NT$40 million from Wu.
Tsai owes him an apology, Han said yesterday, adding that if Tsai does not apologize, their friendship would be over.
He said that he would take legal action against anyone who continues to smear him without evidence, adding that he would quit if proven that he had received NT$40 million in donations from businesses.
Although it might be inappropriate to use such strong words, he felt he needed to prove his innocence in light of the smear campaign against him, he said.
In response, Tsai said that while he had not seen Han’s news conference, he was willing to apologize “for failing to let Han know in advance” that he would be discussing the matter.
However, the point of his comments was not the sum of the donations, Tsai said.
The point was whether Wu helped Han raise funds, he said.
Since both Wu and Han said he did, then “there is nothing to apologize or not apologize for,” Tsai said.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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