The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday asked the legislature to take action to recover former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Diane Lee’s (李慶安) salary after she was found guilty of fraud and forgery on Thursday in a case involving her holding of dual citizenship.
The Taipei District Court on Thursday sentenced Lee to two years in prison for fraud. Lee was convicted on charges related to holding US citizenship while she served as a Taipei City councilor from 1994 to 1998 and as a KMT legislator from 1999 to 2008.
Taiwan’s Nationality Act (國籍法) stipulates that holders of dual citizenship must surrender their foreign citizenship before assuming public office.
Lee had been in public office for 14 years before it was discovered in March 2008 that she had never relinquished her US citizenship.
Saying that the NT$100 million (US$3 million) income Lee had earned during her terms as Taipei City councilor and legislator were gained illegally, DPP spokesman Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢) held a press conference urging the legislature to take immediate action.
DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said the ruling was too lenient. Diane Lee’s behavior was corruption, but the district court only found her guilty of fraud and forgery, sentencing her to two years in prison, he said.
On the charge of fraud, the court is empowered to declare in the final ruling that Lee must refund all of the salary she earned during her entire period of her public service, the legislature’s Organic Law and Statute Bureau said.
If the court does not make such a ruling, it will be up to the legislature, which paid Diane Lee’s salary, to decide whether to file a civil suit against her to recoup the funds, it said. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday said the Legislative Yuan would take action based on the law as soon as the final court ruling is delivered.
“After the verdict [on Diane Lee’s case] is finalized, the legislature will deal with the case in accordance with its laws,” Wang told reporters.
Wang did not comment on whether the legislature should also demand payment from lawmakers who lost their seats because of vote-buying and had their elected status revoked. The issue needed further deliberation, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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