The New Power Party (NPP) has suspended the membership of Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal amid allegations of influence peddling and abuse of power, party spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Green Party Taiwan alleged that Kawlo in January had received NT$4 million (US$128,279) in green energy subsidies from the Ministry of Economic Affairs through two groups established by a former assistant and run by a current aide, but did not appear to have put the funds to any use.
The Taiwan Association for Indigenous Peoples and the Taiwan Associations for Startups and Marketing Centers received the funds to establish “clean” energy facilities.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Article 14 of the Act on Recusal of Public Servants Due to Conflicts of Interest (公職人員利益衝突迴避法) 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, the Green Party said.
On Tuesday, the NPP said that Kawlo had breached provisions of the Legislators’ Conduct Act (立法委員行為法) regarding conflict of interest and on Wednesday the party’s disciplinary committee met to discuss the allegations.
Kawlo attended the meeting, but declined to respond to allegations of influence peddling, Lee said.
On Monday, she had denied abusing her influence to obtain the subsidies.
The committee recommended that Kawlo’s NPP membership be revoked for contravening its regulations and tarnishing its image, Lee said.
If the party revokes her membership, she would lose her legislator-at-large seat.
The NPP would turn the case over to the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee, he said.
Questions have been raised about whether Article 14 would apply in this case, as the groups applied for the subsidies months before the provision requiring bidders to disclose their connection to public servants took effect in December last year.
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