The Control Yuan yesterday impeached five former officials from former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) Presidential Office staff for their handling of his alleged misuse of the state affairs fund.
Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), were sentenced to life imprisonment in September after being found guilty of corruption and embezzlement.
Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊) said that things would not have happened the way they did if the five officials had stuck to their duties of advising the former president on how to use the discretionary fund and tightly regulating the practice of seeking reimbursement on expenses.
The five are former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成), former Presidential Office director Lin Teh-hsun (林德訓), the former first family’s bookkeeper Chen Chen-hui (陳鎮慧), former director-general of the Presidential Office accounting department Fon Shui-lin (馮瑞麟) and former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰).
Admitting to using false receipts to claim money from the special fund, Chen Shui-bian insisted the money was spent on “secret diplomatic missions” — not for personal expenses.
“As important members of the presidential staff, what they did in helping the former first couple pocket public funds was tantamount to helping the wicked perpetrate wicked deeds,” Wang said.
Ma and Lin have been found guilty by the Taipei District Court of helping the former first couple embezzle money from public funds and were sentenced to 20 years and 16 years in prison respectively, and stripped of their civil rights for 10 years and eight years respectively.
Chen Chen-hui, who testified as a witness for the prosecution in the first trial, admitted guilt to charges including forgery, perjury, embezzlement and money laundering.
“Chen Shui-bian and Wu Shu-jen were not able to disrupt the system alone. It was because there was a group of civil servants who allowed themselves to be sidetracked by their superiors to disregard their responsibilities to the country and the government,” Wang said.
Control Yuan member Ma Hsiu-ru (馬秀如) said she hoped the impeachment would help restore discipline among civil servants working in the government’s accounting system.
“Since public funds are the hard-won possessions of the people, civil servants should realize that they are accountable to the public, not just to their boss,” she said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese