The Public Affairs Department of the Presidential Office held a press conference yesterday and displayed several official documents which showed that the budget plan for Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) residence was drafted on instructions from her own office.
The department reiterated that there was no conspiracy behind the budget plan whatsoever and it was not intended to damage Lu's political reputation.
"In June this year, the official document submitted by Hsueh I-cheng (薛義誠), the official from the vice president's office, asked to choose an appropriate residence according to the principles of national dignity, residential security and accommodation for security guards, and to allocate funding for the renovation and interior design of the residence," Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), director of the Public Affairs Office said as he showed the document to waiting reporters yesterday.
Liu Chih-chieh (劉志傑), the director of the Third Bureau in charge of the matter, then explained why there were two budget plans for the vice president's residence in the Presidential Office's budget next year.
He emphasized that there was a second budget plan, designated for the former governor's residence on Tai-an Street, because there were worries that the Legislative Yuan might not approve the budget for the vice president to renew her lease on her private dwelling on Chungching South Road.
"As long as the Legislative Yuan approves the budget for the vice president's current residence, the budget for Tai-an Street can be removed. If the lawmakers insist that the vice president must live in the public residence, the rent would be returned to the government," said Liu.
When reviewing the budget early this year, lawmakers criticized Lu's decision to lease a large residence on a top floor of a business building. They resolved that the government should establish a mechanism for choosing the vice president's residence from its own housing stock.
When the two budget plans, which amounted to NT$13 millions, triggered criticism from lawmakers and the media last week about Lu being wasteful, Lu was furious, stressing that she had no idea about the proposed budgets and did not ask for any new furniture. She even suggested that this was a plot from the Presidential Office to mislead the media and to discredit her.
Tsai Ming-hua (蔡明華), spokeswoman for the vice president, however, reiterated Lu's accusation yesterday morning and said some officials in the Presidential Office were trying to conceal the truth from the public.
Secretary General to the President Yu Shyi-kun and other officials of the Presidential Office therefore held several meetings to discuss the situation and released a public statement yesterday afternoon.
When asked if this incident was an example of poor communication between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Lu, Kuo stressed that "this incident has nothing to do with President Chen. Some officials concerned may have made mistakes, but there was no conspiracy whatsoever. I believe the public will judge this fairly."
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