National Taiwan University associate professor Thomas Peng (彭錦鵬) recently proposed that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) assemble all the directors and chiefs of government bodies to address the issue of special allowance funds to put the controversial matter to rest once and for all.
Guidelines for the special allowance funds for government chiefs stipulate that they must be used for public affairs expenditures.
Use of the funds should be reported by “submitting the original expenditure voucher” and only half of the funds will be reimbursed if the original voucher cannot be found.
CALL TO ATTENTION
The use of special funds gained prominence after Ma was indicted on Feb. 13, 2007, for alleged misuse of his special mayoral fund during his tenure as Taipei mayor.
Although the Supreme Court upheld a “not guilty” verdict on April 24, 2008, the case snowballed into a political furore, with the pan-green and pan-blue camps attacking each other over the issue.
Peng said he had proposed to the Central Independent Commission against Corruption that litigation in special funds cases be suspended pending reforms to the special allowance fund system, adding that it was an attempt to avoid “demoralizing” government officials.
COMMISSION OPENED
The commission was launched by the Ma administration under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan. Peng is one of the new committee members contracted for the second term of the commission.
Peng said the reason the commission had not been more proactive in pushing this view was because Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who doubles as convener of the commission, felt the matter was beyond the abilities of the commission.
Wu has said there were different opinions and suggestions from various sectors, but that as the relevant cases were currently under investigation, it was “inadvisable” that the commission intervene at this point.
Peng also said that Wu felt it was not proper for the Executive Yuan to make recommendations to the president on such matters.
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