An commercial dispute has broken out between the Archdiocese of Taipei and a cemetery contractor it has been using for some 40 years, with allegations of mismanagement and irregularities flying back and forth.
The archdiocese and the Society of Triple Virtues, which manages archdiocesan cemeteries, issued a joint statement refuting a magazine article alleging irregularities of the archdiocese's cemeteries.
The Next Magazine of Taiwan, a Chinese-language weekly, reported Feb. 24 that a whistleblower revealed there were several irregularities at three archdiocesan-run cemeteries, including illegal constructions.
The archdiocese and Triple Virtues said in a statement that the allegations represented a campaign of slander that began when it terminated the contractor's contract in September 2014.
In addition, the prosecutor's office dismissed all charges filed by the contractor, the Ying Chiang Engineering Company, against the church, the statement said.
In response, the church filed suit against the contractor for theft and other crimes.