President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday he regrets and feels sorry about allegations of former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih’s (林益世) involvement in corruption.
“I feel very regretful and apologetic for Lin being implicated in a judicial case,” Ma said on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Academia Sinica’s annual conference, the top research institute in Taiwan.
Lin, who resigned from his post on Friday, was questioned by prosecutors on Sunday for his alleged role in a bribery case and, according to his lawyer Lai Su-ju (賴素如), Lin confessed his wrongdoings during a 12-hour questioning session that ended early yesterday.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Ma said it was extremely regrettable that a member of his administration has been involved in such a case.
Noting that integrity and incorruptibility constitute the core values and basic moral standard for civil servants, Ma said any official who violates this principle and commits a crime should be dealt with according to the law.
“There is neither a ‘gray area’ nor room for anyone to dodge this rule,” Ma said, adding that his administrative team would learn a lesson from this incident and would become even more cautious and prudent in recruiting personnel.
Ma said his administration would continue to be resolute in fighting against graft and preventing official corruption.
“We will continue our quest for an incorruptible civil service and clean politics,” the president said.
Lin was accused of accepting a bribe of NT$63 million (US$2.15 million) from Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥), the owner of Kaohsiung-based Ti Yung Co (地勇選礦公司), to help the company secure a slag treatment contract.
The contract was offered by China Steel Corp (中鋼) two years ago when Lin was a legislator.
The 44-year-old Lin was also accused of soliciting another bribe of NT$83 million from Chen between February and March this year. When the owner refused to pay up, Lin allegedly pressured China Steel, a listed company in which the government has a controlling stake, to stop supplying slag to Ti Yung for treatment.
Separately yesterday, Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) apologized to the public for the graft case involving Lin.
“I feel deep regret [over Lin’s case],” the premier told a news conference held at the Executive Yuan.
After the case was exposed, he said, the Cabinet launched an internal investigation and offered information to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division. The Cabinet will also work with prosecutors to provide any further information they may need, he added.
The premier reiterated the importance of the integrity of government officials, saying he has asked the government’s anti-corruption agency to strengthen its work to prevent and combat corruption.
Earlier in the day, Lin issued a statement in which he apologized for his misbehavior, saying he deeply regretted his dereliction of duty and getting involved in corruption.
“I would like to apologize to my family members and my supervisors and the public,” Lin said in the statement, adding that he would like to return all illegal money to the nation and devote himself community services.
Prior to his confession, Lin had denied taking bribes from Chen Chi-hsiang or pressurizing anyone into paying bribes.
He filed a lawsuit against the company owner for aggravated libel.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang
TIGHTENED RULES: Employees in the affected sectors must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 1 or provide an exemption certificate, and they must undergo COVID-19 testing People working in sectors supervised by the education, economics, labor, and health and welfare ministries must be fully vaccinated by next month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. “Starting from Jan. 1, vaccination rules for workers at industries supervised by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be further enhanced,” said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman. New employees and those returning to work must provide a negative COVID-19 test result — an antigen rapid test, at-home rapid
THREAT REMAINS: With cases rising in many parts of the world, the minister urged the public to continue complying with the disease prevention regulations Taiwan can be considered to have achieved “COVID zero” status, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday, despite the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reporting 21 imported cases of COVID-19, the highest number of daily imported infections reported this year. Chen, who heads the CECC, said no local infections or deaths were reported, but 21 imported cases were confirmed yesterday. The imported cases are eight men and 13 women who arrived from Belize, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and the US, Chen said. The highest number of daily imported infections last year was 25 cases on March 23, he
NO ENTRY: The refusal to process Lithuanian goods at Chinese ports suggests that they have been ordered to do so by an official entity, a trade group head said The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the governments of other EU member states to jointly respond to Beijing blocking Lithuanian exports from entering China, as “Lithuania is not listed on the [Chinese customs] system as a country.” Lithuanian media Web site 15min.lt yesterday cited a Lithuanian wood exporter as saying that it was not allowed to unload its goods at an unnamed Chinese port. The company said that its Chinese partner cited customs authorities as saying that any merchandise or shipments related to Lithuania would be refused, effective immediately. Lithuanian timber exporter Sprusas confirmed that Lithuanian goods could be loaded
‘RESOLUTELY COMMITTED’: Sparking a crisis in the Taiwan Strait would be in no one’s interest, starting with China, the US secretary of state told a conference US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Reuters Next conference on Friday that Chinese leaders should think carefully about their actions toward Taiwan, warning of “terrible consequences” if China precipitates a crisis across the Taiwan Strait. In an interview, Blinken addressed multiple foreign policy challenges facing the administration of US President Joe Biden, including faltering efforts to repair the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine and the spiraling conflict in Ethiopia. Most acute might be China’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) has said tensions with China are at their worst in
RSS