Eight former and incumbent lawmakers from across party lines were indicted yesterday on charges of corruption for allegedly accepting bribes from the Taiwan Dental Association in return for their endorsement of the Oral Healthcare Act (口腔健康法) in 2003.
Those indicted were former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Liao Pen-yen (
Tsai Huang-liang's older brother, Tsai Chao-cheng (蔡朝正), was also indicted. Tsai Chao-cheng is an executive at a pharmaceutical company.
Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南), a spokesman for the Special Investigation Panel of the Supreme Court Prosecutors' Office, told reporters that another 33 former and incumbent legislators were not indicted because of a lack of evidence.
Chen said Tsai Huang-liang was accused of accepting NT$3.5 million (US$110,000) through his brother. Jao, Chang and Chiu allegedly received NT$1 million, while Yang, Liao, Lee Ming-hsien and Lee Chen-nan allegedly pocketed NT$500,000.
Chen said any donation of more than NT$300,000 constitutes a bribe.
He said the dental association proposed an oral healthcare act in 2002 which would allow dentists to receive subsidies from the Bureau of National Health Insurance.
Tsai Huang-liang in April 2002 submitted a draft of the oral healthcare act to the legislature, but a number of legislators from across party lines did not support the draft.
The association responded by bribing key legislators in return for their endorsement of the draft, prosecutors allege.
The law was approved in April 2003.
Jao and another seven former and incumbent legislators were earlier this month indicted by the Supreme Court Prosecutors' Office on suspicion of accepting bribes from the National Chinese Herbal Apothecary Association in return for their endorsement of amendments to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS