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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
RSS