The Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee might recognize the National Women’s League as affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) before any further hearing, meaning the discussion of the disposal of the league’s assets could begin with such recognition.
League representatives attended a meeting held by the committee on April 27 to determine if the league had been controlled by the KMT, and if it had collected illicit gains through its connection with the party.
The committee has been verifying data and statements presented at the hearing, and discussions have been held over whether there is enough evidence to assume the alleged affiliation between the league and the KMT to be true before a planned further hearing, committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said yesterday.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Asked if such a formal recognition being made before a second hearing would be premature and against procedure, Shih said the committee has met its obligation in carrying out its investigation.
“Unless we still have unsolved problems concerning the alleged affiliation between the National Women’s League and the KMT that requires a further hearing to clarify them, [formal recognition of the affiliation] can be made without another hearing,” she said.
“One direction of the committee discussion is to recognize [the league] as an organization affiliated [with the KMT] and then to deal with the assets,” she said.
However, the committee has not reached a final conclusion, and a second hearing in the second half of this year is also likely, but that hearing would be focused on the proposed handling of league assets, she said.
The committee has been collecting data regarding the league’s assets, but the league has not declared its financial data over the past few decades, despite repeated requests by the committee and the Ministry of the Interior, she said.
According to the committee’s investigation, the league collected an estimated NT$24.03 billion (US$797.8 million at the current exchange rate) in military taxes and surcharges from 1955 to 1989, a sum estimated to be worth NT$349.81 billion today, factoring in inflation and interest.
The league in February said that it had NT$38.1 billion in assets and it would donate NT$16 billion to government agencies to help provide for long-term healthcare.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) yesterday urged the government to dismiss and replace National Women’s League director Cecilia Koo Yen (辜嚴倬雲) because the league has not explained how much it collected in military taxes and surcharges or how the money was spent.
The league was given a year to declare its financial status, but has failed to do so, so the ministry should replace Koo Yen and give the league another month to comply with the order, Chen said.
“Otherwise it should dissolve the league and return the assets to the public,” Chen said.
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