The Control Yuan impeached Legislative Secretary-General Lin Hsi-shan (林錫山) yesterday over an investment irregularity, but Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said Lin would remain in his job until the Judicial Yuan makes a decision on disciplinary action.
By a vote of 7 to 5, Lin was impeached for violating Article 13 of the Civil Servants Work Act (公務員服務法), which stipulates that public servants cannot hold more than 10 percent of a company’s shares.
Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬) was assigned to investigate the case after the Control Yuan found in Lin’s property disclosure statement that he held 91.8 percent of shares of an investment company — with an estimated value of NT$23.5 million (US$800,300) — owned by his sister in 2009.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Lin admitted to owning the shares when he was questioned by the Control Yuan, but said he did not know that the investment was not legally permitted, Yeh said.
The case was referred to the Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission under the Judicial Yuan to make a disciplinary decision.
In 2010, Duan Wei (韋伯韜), chairman of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Co (TTL), was found to have violated the same clause.
He was given a demerit by the commission and stepped down from TTL.
Lin said he respected the decision made by the Control Yuan, adding that he has righted the wrong and told Wang that he would accept any punishment.
Lin is right-hand man to Wang, who appointed him to the position in 1999, after Wang was elected speaker of the legislature for the first time.
The irregularity had nothing to do with acts performed in the course of his official duties and with his personal integrity, Wang said.
“The legislature still needs Lin’s help,” Wang said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS