President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is facing accusations that he has squandered state funds for personal use, including purchasing concert and movie tickets.
A report by the Chinese-language online news platform SETN.com late on Thursday said Ma has used more than 99 percent of the state affairs fund earmarked for his discretionary use over the past eight years, and that the money was not always spent properly.
For example, the report said Ma used NT$39.958 million (US$1.22 million at current exchange rates) of the NT$40 million state affairs funds allocated in 2012, while there were only about NT$20,000 and NT$30,000 left in the funds in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Even in the last year of his presidential term, Ma has spent more than half of the NT$30 million allocated for the year in the first six months, the report said.
In addition to using the money to pay for a birthday party banquet for former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) in 2008, the article also said that the president has used the funds to purchase concert and movie tickets, as well as to treat KMT lawmakers to a meal during each legislative session.
Regulations stipulate that the state affairs fund is to be used by a president for certain purposes, including overseas or local inspection tours, rewards and gifts for guests.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) denied the report in a news release issued later yesterday, saying that Ma has only used the fund for “charitable purposes,” such as inviting his guests to attend cultural events, and has never spent them on recreational activities for himself.
“For instance, in an effort to promote the nation’s cultural activities, Ma invited the spouses of Cabinet members to enjoy a performance by Taiwanese Zen drumming troupe U-Theatre (優人神鼓) in September 2008,” Chen said.
Chen said the president also invited children from disadvantaged families and participants in the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics to a Cirque du Soleil show in January 2009, among others.
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