Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Lyu-hsun (沈呂巡) yesterday demanded a new investigation into a scandal in which he was accused of swindling more than NT$4 million (US$123,000) in government funds by falsely reporting rental expenses during his post in Geneva.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the case could be reopened to examine whether there were any procedural flaws, but Shen would have to first file an appeal.
The career diplomat of three decades told reporters the allegations had damaged his reputation and ruined his aging father’s health, who, he said, suffered a stroke upon hearing the news.
Shen was slapped with a demerit on the eve of last year’s presidential election when it was discovered that the Geneva representative office was smaller than reported and Shen, who headed the mission, had paid more than NT$4 million too much in office rent for the four years since 2004.
IN CAHOOTS
Some reporters and pan-green legislators accused Shen of being in cahoots with the office space’s landlord, but he vehemently denied the allegations.
He said that not only did he not pocket any money, but he single-handedly convinced the landlord to hand back the extra money and reduce the rent by 20 percent.
“I was the one that reported the discrepancy to the ministry,” he said in his defense.
LEAKED
When asked who he thought might have leaked the story and if it reflected political infighting within the ministry, Shen said he had an idea who the person was, but that the man had left MOFA for another government department.
“It is someone that does not want me to come back,” he said, without elaborating.
Shen said he hoped a new investigation could be launched to look into the matter because he was not given an adequate chance to explain his side of the story when the ministry conducted its internal disciplinary review of the case.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS