The Control Yuan yesterday impeached eight former customs officials and 16 other staff members allegedly involved in one of the biggest corruption cases ever to involve the nation’s custom officials.
Control Yuan member Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄) said the impeachment was unprecedented in terms of the number of officials impeached at the same time.
Among the eight former officials were deputy head of the Directorate-General of Customs Lu Tsai-yih (呂財益) — the highest-ranking official, former Keelung Customs Office director Tsai Chiu-chi (蔡秋吉) and former director of the Department of Valuation at the Directorate-General of Customs Shih Chung-mei (史中美).
The eight ex-officials, along with 16 others, were indicted by prosecutors in December on charges that they had been taking bribes from customs brokers and traders for two years, in exchange for their assistance in importing banned products and evading tariffs.
Control Yuan members found that Lu, Tsai and Shih were also allegedly involved in various irregularities like reshuffling personnel, leaking internal documents or telling subordinates to do certain things to help those who bribed them.
The trio claimed innocence when they were questioned by Control Yuan members, but the Control Yuan members had found that Chang Sheng-tai (張勝泰) acted as middleman and worked hand in glove with the trio to negotiate with traders and brokers, Huang said.
The eight officials are scheduled to be referred to the Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission at the Judicial Yuan for punishment.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or