The Control Yuan yesterday in its full-member meeting approved a draft amendment on the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Law (
An estimated 80,000 public servants will be affected if the draft amendment is approved by the Legislature.
It is expected to be sent to the Legislature for review.
"Based on the attempt to monitor government officials' assets to prevent corruption, the draft amendment is aimed at getting more public servants to report their assets," said Control Yuan Secretary-General Tu Shan-liang (杜善良).
Tu told reporters that under current regulations, only around 1,700 high-ranking officials are obliged to report their assets annually. But once the draft amendment is approved, low-ranking public servants such as front-line police and workers in financial, accounting, purchasing and tax related government departments have to report their assets as well.
Currently, those obliged to report their assets mainly include the president, vice president, ministers and their deputies, political appointees, senior officials such as mayors and commissioners, judges, prosecutors and lawmakers. Public servants who work in financial related departments are not obliged to report their assets annually except those who serve as executives.
The specific scope of those affected by the amendment, however, has not been defined.
Tu said, "Not everyone who works in a financial department will be asked to disclose their assets. We will have a clear list of those affected when we propose our administrative regulations based on this amendment."
The draft also asks former officials to report their assets in the first year after they leave their posts to ensure honest financial reporting.
The amendment also added that the Control Yuan and the Ministry of Justice are entitled to ask for necessary financial information about officials to strengthen corruption prevention.
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