President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday praised the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) investigations into bribery and corruption allegations against military personnel over the past year, and promised to apply high standards and demand integrity from the military.
The ministry set up a commission in April last year to probe promotion bribery scandals and corruption cases that have haunted the military. The findings of the investigation were presented on Thursday and indicated that no generals were involved in paying bribes for promotion or accepted any bribes.
Ma yesterday praised the ministry for its thorough investigation of more than 4,000 military personnel, including 910 current and retired senior officials, and apologized to those who were found innocent in the investigation.
“I want to give my regards to high-ranking officers who, through this investigation, have been shown to be innocent. They might have felt uncomfortable during the process, but it's worth the sacrifice to show that the military is innocent and honorable,” Ma told a press conference at the Presidential Office to mark the first anniversary of the military's anti-corruption campaign.
Ma said he instructed the ministry to report to him on the investigation every month.
He added that efforts to ensure the integrity of the military would continue, and called on the public to report any information they might have on bribery or corruption cases to the authorities.
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) and National Security Bureau Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) also attended the press conference.
The investigation was launched last year following a series of alleged military scandals, including accusations that several high-ranking officers secured promotions after they offered bribes.
Chang Shan-dong (張善東), a leading military inspector, said the ministry reviewed the promotions of 910 officials from the rank of general or flag officers, including some who had already retired.
Among them, 124 have been referred to an ad hoc investigation team for further scrutiny because of irregularities in their promotions.
Among the accused military officials, former lieutenant-general Yuan Hsiao-lung (袁肖龍) was indicted by Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office last year, along with 11 businessmen, on charges of bribery and blackmail.
Former chief of general staff Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) was accused of accepting bribes from Yuan.
The report said since Yuan did not receive a promotion, it was not a case of securing a promotion in exchange for a bribe.
Ma yesterday declined to take any questions from the press at the conference.
Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) later dismissed concerns that the investigation results were to protect military personnel from scandals.
At another meeting yesterday on the legislature's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the results showed the report was “just a show” by Ma instead of a real solution to the problem.
“He didn’t address the real issue. Instead, all the report did was try and give his image a boost in the face of lagging opinion polls,” he said.
Ker also questioned the tactics used to conduct the investigation, saying that it “cast doubt on the ability of our army.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VINCENT Y. CHAO AND CNA
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