First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) chairman Jerome Chen (陳建隆) was indicted yesterday for using bank resources in bank supervisor Charles Chiang's (江昭儀) DPP legislative primary election bid.
The Taipei District Prosecutors office charged Chen with breach of trust and recommended that the court announce its verdict in summary procedure, calling Chen's confession during its investigation and other evidence sufficient for the court to render a guilty verdict.
The prosecution said that during the investigation Chen agreed to accept a penalty of less than 50 days in prison and a fine of NT$578,000 -- the sum of money he misused -- without a suspension of his sentence.
The scandal was revealed by PFP legislator Chen Chao-jung (
Chiang was to run in February's DPP legislative primary in Changhua County. In a bid to help Chiang win the election, Chen, in his capacity as bank chairman, sent letters to the bank's clients in the county, asking them to vote for Chiang.
According to the indictment, Chen ordered the printing of the 126,486 letters, which cost NT$110,000. The address labels on the envelops were estimated to cost NT$25,297 and postage for the letters came to NT$442,701, all financed with bank funds.
The prosecutors said Chen misused bank resources to carry out affairs irrelevant to the business of the bank or his position as chairman.
The Ministry of Finance fined Chen NT$60,000 earlier this month for using confidential customer information to help Chiang's campaign bid. The ministry also asked Chen to return the money he misused. Chen earlier expressed repentance and said he would not misuse his post again.
Opposition party lawmakers have criticized Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章) for allowing Chen to remain in his position as the bank's chairman.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
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