Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday urged prosecutors to seek lighter punishment for a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator who was barred from leaving the country for allegedly pocketing salaries paid to legislative aides during his tenure.
“He might have violated the law because he did not understand the regulations,” Wang told reporters at the legislature. “I hope prosecutors can take this into consideration when dealing with the case. He did not intend to pocket the money.”
Wang was commenting on prosecutors' recent decision to prohibit former KMT legislator Kwan Yuk-noan (關沃暖) from leaving the country after Kwan allegedly embezzled about NT$4 million (US$123,000) that should have been set aside for legislative aides. Kwan, a former legislator-at-large representing KMT overseas compatriots from 1998 to 2004, was released on NT$600,000 bail last week.
Taipei prosecutors said Kwan suspiciously used four relatives’ names to claim NT$4 million in payments for legislative aides during his two terms. He might also be accused of corruption and forgery, they said.
They added that they had questioned the four persons and all of them said they did not really work as Kwan's aides.
Since Kwan stayed in the US mostly, to prevent him from avoiding the investigation, he was barred from leaving the country, they said.
Kwan yesterday protested his innocence, saying this is how it works in the legislature. He said legislators-at-large are all required to financially support party caucuses by giving NT$100,000 per month and that this is how they do it.
“The legislature gives us the money and then we deal with the fund,” Kwan said. “I have my integrity. I wouldn't embezzle a penny even if the cash is given directly to me.”
Wang said all legislative caucuses had similar requirements for legislators-at-large, adding that one or two legislators also pay the fee in a similar way. He did not name them.
Kuan is not the first former legislator accused of embezzling salaries for legislative aides.
Kinmen Prosecutors Office in 2008 indicted former KMT legislator Wu Cherng-dean (吳成典) on similar charges and sought a 15-year jail sentence. Wu's case is still pending in Kinmen District Court.
‘HIDDEN GEM’: The city earned plaudits for its low crime rate, world-class healthcare system, cheap cost of living and easy public transportation Taipei has been named the 10th best city in the world for quality of living in an annual survey by the editors of Monocle, a UK-based global affairs and lifestyle magazine. The survey, which is to be published in the magazine’s July/August issue, selected the world’s top 25 cities based on factors including cost of living, retail, hospitality, culture and access to green spaces, as well as feedback from Monocle correspondents. Taipei’s 10th place finish was one place down from a year earlier. The survey ranked Copenhagen as the world’s best city, with Zurich, Lisbon, Helsinki and Stockholm rounding out the top five.
GLOBAL STRATEGY: Indo-Pacific alliances need reinforcement to prevent Chinese occupation of Taiwan, which would threaten Japan, Hawaii and Australia, Pompeo said The US should officially recognize Taiwan as a free, independent nation and establish official diplomatic ties, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Friday. Every US president since Harry Truman has considered Taiwan’s existence to be of utmost importance to US national security, Pompeo said. Taiwan is a principal US partner in technology and economic matters, and if China were to capture Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain, it would severely hamper the US economy, Pompeo said. Should China occupy Taiwan, it would severely weaken US influence in the Indo-Pacific region and its surrounding areas,
NO COMORBIDITIES: The girl died of encephalitis, the sixth COVID-19-related death of the disease this year and 19th death of a child from the virus, the center said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 52,213 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 171 deaths from the virus, including a four-year-old girl, who had been diagnosed with encephalitis, and a 19-year-old man, who had underlying health conditions. “The caseloads are usually higher on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they [yesterday] fell 7.3 percent from the day before,” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. Chuang, who is the CECC’s spokesman, said that most cities and counties reported a drop in new cases, and the CECC expects fewer than 50,000 new cases today. The center said that 150 of
LIMIT: The CECC has capped the number of weekly arrivals to 25,000, which critics said has limited the number of available flights and caused ticket prices to soar The government is not likely to raise the cap on the number of inbound travelers before the end of this month, despite the apparent effect on the number of inbound flights, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday last week eased quarantine rules for inbound travelers, who must undergo three days of home quarantine upon arrival and spend another four days in self-initiated disease prevention. It also capped the number of inbound travelers to 25,000 per week. The weekly limit has drawn criticism that it has limited the number of flights