The Control Yuan said it would step up investigations into allegations of improper influence and illegal wiretapping in the government.
Hung Te-hsuan (洪德旋), a member of the top supervisory body, who has been looking into former justice minister Tseng Yung-fu’s (曾勇夫) alleged intervention in a court case, has been joined by another member, Wu Feng-shan (吳豐山), in a bid to make the probe “more comprehensive.”
“We are speeding up our investigation and expect to complete it within two or three months,” Wu said, adding that the Control Yuan can only “act within the law to find out the facts,” as the improper influence case has become more complicated, extending even to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Tseng stepped down last month after State Prosecutor General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) gave a press conference disclosing the minister’s alleged involvement in suppressing a court case at the behest of two senior members of the Legislature. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) allegedly tried to help Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) avoid further legal battles in a breach of trust case. Ker was found not guilty, but the prosecution was reportedly going to appeal for a re-trial.
Wu also said he and Hung will investigate whether justice officials were acting in accordance with the law when gathering evidence against the legislators.
As for Ma, who doubles as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Wu said he will consider the possibility of an “inquiry” with the president over the incident. The Control Yuan’s probe results will not have legal binding force because it only has “administrative investigative” power meant to reprimand malfeasance.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are