Taiwanese investigators acting on tip-offs have launched an anti-graft probe into engineering and procurement staff with an under-construction power plant for green-lighting the purchase of wires and equipment offering little or no radiation protection.

Authorities raided several locations of Taipower, a major publicly-funded electric power supplier that is constructing the aforementioned nuclear power plant in Gongliao in the city of Xinbei, and its subcontractors and questioned several suspects Tuesday.

Prosecutors have announced that three of the company's staff members are suspected of corruption in the procurement of wires and equipment worth 450 million New Taiwanese Dollars (about 15 million U.S. dollars).

The three are suspected of profiting from endorsing the purchases from two small supply firms in May 2007. Both of the firms were just four months old at the time.

In the deal, inferior wires were accepted by Taipower as materials with sufficient radiation-proof performance.

According to local authorities, the three suspects each paid 200,000 New Taiwanese Dollars in bail on Wednesday, and the investigation is ongoing.

The scandal stirred public uproar on the island for its possible links to nuclear power safety. Taipower executives expressed hope that the truth will be ascertained soon, vowing punishments for any of its members found to be involved in malpractice.

Source: Xinhua News Agency