The Control Yuan earlier this week censured the Cabinet and the Ministry of Economic Affairs for failing to oversee tenders held by the government-invested China Steel Corp.
The government’s top watchdog body said the failures led to irregularities related to a bribery case involving a former top Cabinet official.
China Steel lacks a standard mechanism governing purchases and tenders and can therefore decide who to sign contracts with at will, Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬) said.
Moreover, its purchases and tenders are not overseen by the legislature, Yeh said, adding that this oversight led to the bribery scandal involving former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世).
While the Cabinet and the ministry have a say in China Steel’s management appointments and operations, they have failed to properly oversee the company’s tendering process and prevent political interference, the Control Yuan said.
Lin was indicted in October last year for helping Greater Kaohsiung-based Ti Yung Industrial Co to secure a slag treatment contract from a subsidiary of China Steel Corp in 2010 in his capacity as a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker, in return for NT$63 million (US$2.1 million).
Lin, who reportedly demanded a further NT$83 million from the Greater Kaohsiung contractor last year after he began serving in the Cabinet, also faces charges of demanding bribes, concealing illegal gains and keeping unaccountable assets.
In 2005, at the suggestion of its contractors, China Steel shifted from holding open tenders for slag treatment, to signing five-year contracts with three suppliers, including Ti Yung. China Steel renewed the contracts with the same three suppliers in 2010, the Control Yuan said.
This change in China Steel’s tendering process made it easier for corruption and other irregularities to take place, Yeh said.
The censure was aimed at prodding the Cabinet to push China Steel to establish a comprehensive system governing its tenders to prevent further irregularities, Yeh said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS