Former KMT legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) made her first court appearance yesterday at Taipei District Court on charges that she defrauded the government of more than NT$100 million (US$3 million) in wages and benefits.
Lee admitted for the first time to possessing dual-citizenship from the US but pleaded not guilty to the charges of fraud and forgery.
Because both Lee’s husband and children reside in the US, the court affirmed the prosecutor’s decision to restrict her from leaving the country.
Earlier reports have shown that she co-owns a house in Maryland with her husband, who is a US citizen.
Lee left the court with her lawyer, who in a statement said that she was apologetic and concerned for the public.
Lee declined to comment.
She faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty.
Allegations of dual citizenship first surfaced after Next Magazine reported in March last year that Lee still possessed a valid US passport. In January, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office received official confirmation from the US Department of State that Lee’s US citizenship was valid.
The Nationality Act (國籍法) prohibits government officials from holding dual citizenship and requires that those who are dual citizens give up foreign citizenship before assuming office.
Lee resigned from the KMT in December last year and left her legislative post early this year. The Central Election Committee subsequently revoked her election certificates dating back to her service as a Taipei City legislator.
It has been claimed that because of her previous ineligibility to work as a public employee, the wages and benefits she accrued over 10 years in her posts as a Taipei City councilor and a legislator were illegally obtained.
The legislature has promised that if Lee is found guilty, it will start proceedings to recover the wages.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS