The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday said it would transfer an alleged conflict of interest case involving NPP Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal to the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee for investigation following accusations that she abused her power to obtain government subsidies totaling NT$4 million (US$128,721).
The Green Party Taiwan on Monday said that two non-governmental organizations run by Kawlo’s assistant had received NT$4 million in subsidies from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The two groups — the Taiwan Association for Indigenous Peoples and Taiwan Associations for Startups and Marketing Centers — were among 19 organizations that in January received ministry subsidies to establish “clean” energy facilities.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Both groups were established by the former director of Kawlo’s office, Chen Shih-chang (陳士章), and are currently managed by her office assistant, Chen En-tse (陳恩澤), the Green Party said on Facebook.
Despite having no former achievements, the two groups each received the maximum subsidy of NT$2 million, it said.
As Kawlo is a member of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, which is responsible for supervising the ministry, the Green Party accused her assistant of breaching the Act on Recusal of Public Servants Due to Conflicts of Interest (公職人員利益衝突迴避法) by applying for the ministry program.
Article 14 of the act bans public servants and people closely related to them from receiving subsidies from or engaging in monetary transactions with government agencies or organizations under their supervision, it said.
In cases involving an open bidding process, the act requires the bidding public servant, or people related to them, to disclose their identity or connection to the public servant to avoid a conflict of interest, it said.
“When the applicant is a legislator’s office assistant, would the ministry dare give them anything less than the maximum amount? The key question is whether Kawlo exerted pressure on the ministry,” the Green Party said.
Kawlo on Monday denied abusing her power to obtain any subsidies, saying: “The untrue accusations have undermined the reputation of the NPP and myself.”
The subsidies were applied “according to law,” as the act’s provision requiring bidders to disclose their connection to public servants had not yet gone into effect when he applied, Chen En-tse said in a statement yesterday.
The ministry’s Bureau of Energy confirmed that Chen had applied for the subsidies without disclosing his connection to the legislator, and that he applied months before the provisions came into effect in December last year.
The ministry would consult with the Ministry of Justice to determine whether the amendment should apply to the case, it added.
The NPP found evidence that Kawlo’s assistant applied for the subsidy and that Kawlo breached provisions regarding conflict of interest in the Legislators’ Conduct Act (立法委員行為法), the NPP said yesterday after an internal disciplinary meeting.
The committee was unable to reach Kawlo, but told her to offer an explanation on the case by 5pm today, it said, adding that if she does not give an explanation by then, the committee would make a decision without consulting her.
If Kawlo is found to have contravened the law, “in the most severe case, the NPP would require her to resign as legislator and would remove her from the NPP’s decisionmaking committee,” party spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said.
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,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. 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
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their