Print

Mail

wiki links

Auditor-general lands in hot water

Pan-blue and pan-green legislators swarm onto the legislative floor during a review of the presidential recall motion yesterday, surrounding Auditor-General Su Chen-ping (in suit and tie) in an attempt to get his attention PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES

Auditor-General Su Chen-ping (蘇振平) yesterday drew some heat from pan-green legislators after he reportedly labeled remarks made by a Presidential Office official as "rubbish."

Su was reported to have made the remark yesterday morning during a visit to his office by some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators.

The group told him that Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Chou Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had said that the Ministry of Audit could only check the "results" of the office's special allowance expenditures and not how the allowance was used.

The lawmakers claimed that Su responded by saying Chou's remarks were rubbish.

The lawmakers met with Su to demand the ministry review the Presidential Office's special allowance expenditures.

Their demand came in the wake of Chou's press conference last Friday to discuss department store gift vouchers that were used as prizes for the presidential residence's employees at a 2003 banquet.

KMT Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) has alleged that the vouchers were a gift from top executives at Sogo Department Store to first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍).

At the press conference Chou showed reporters receipts which he said proved the vouchers had been bought by the Presidential Office.

He refused to provide copies of the receipts, however, saying the Presidential Office did not make its internal documents public -- and pan-blue legislators were quick to claim the receipts might be fakes.

Su's criticism of Chou made the headlines of yesterday's evening papers and drew a sharp response from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators.

They said Su's criticism was based on incorrect information given to him by KMT lawmakers.

Su tried to clarify his comment yesterday afternoon, when he ended up being the only government official to show up for a a meeting called by the legislature to review the recall motion against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

"What I said might have been too much. Chou telephoned me today to clarify the matter," he said.

DPP legislators have asked Su to apologize for his "incorrect" criticism of Chou.

"Su is not competent. How can he criticize Chou when he has no idea what Chou said?" DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.

"I disdain him. He should resign. His attendance at the review committee was aimed at pleasing the pan-blue camp," Hsu said.

Su did apologize to Chou in a short written statement, but that did not satisfy DPP legislators because he had promised them that he would make his apology at a press conference.

"I won't accept his written apology since his incorrect comment about Chou has damaged the DPP's image. He wanted to influence [today's] vote on the motion to recall the president," DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (謝欣霓) said.

DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said that Su had planned to clarify the matter at a press conference yesterday, but he was prevented from doing so by pan-blue legislators.

Meanwhile, in response to a request from the Ministry of Audit, David Lee (李南陽), the director-general of the Presidential Office's public affairs department, said that the office would be happy to provide the ministry with details of its special allowance expenditures.

Lee said the matter would be discussed with ministry officials tomorrow.

"The Ministry of Audit can get the details," he said.
This story has been viewed 1502 times.