After spending nine months in jail, Yu Wen (余文), a former secretary to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during Ma’s stint as Taipei mayor, returned to the Taipei City Government yesterday to take up a position in the compulsory military service department.
Yu, who had been found guilty of graft under Ma’s municipal administration, was employed in the department secretary’s office after competing with 13 other applicants with civil service qualifications.
Swamped by reporters outside his office, Yu said he was nervous about returning to the city government, but would exercise great caution in performing his duties.
“This is a fresh start in my life ... I will be more cautious in the future,” he said.
Yu declined to comment on whether Ma had talked to him about his new job, but said he kept in touch with many colleagues.
Department commissioner Chu Yea-hun (朱亞虎) said that Yu retained his qualification as a civil servant despite his incarceration, and so was qualified for a job in the city government.
Chu said the department posted the job opening on the Web site last month, and Yu received the highest score at the final oral test.
“The selection process was fair and open,” he added.
Yu was found guilty of graft in August 2007 and sentenced to 14 months in jail for using fraudulent receipts to claim reimbursements from Ma’s special mayoral allowance fund. He was released on parole in April.
He had worked at the city government during the term when Ma was accused of misusing his special mayoral allowance. Prosecutors alleged that Ma had embezzled more than NT$12 million (US$366,000) from the fund with Yu’s help. Ma was found not guilty.
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