A Republic of China Navy submarine is moored at the Zuoying naval base in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District as a warship stands in the background during a visit by President Tsai Ing-wen on March 21 last year.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times

The indigenous submarine program has all the signs of becoming another multibillion-dollar scandal tarnished by graft and shady deals, with shadowy figures establishing shell companies to procure the contracts, including some who were involved in the Lafayette frigate scandal of the 1990s, insiders said yesterday.