The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed an amendment to exempt presidents from punishment over improper use of special funds prior to 2007, as scuffles over the proposal resulted in a tear in the portrait of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) behind the speaker’s podium.
The change regards Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act (會計法), which absolves officials of liability for improper use of special allowance funds before Dec. 31, 2006.
“Special allowance funds” are those used by officials, apart from the president, for discretionary public relations purposes, such as rewards and gifts. They are categorically separate from the “special state affairs fund,” which is allocated by the president.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Usage of the funds has been a target for corruption probes into numerous officials, including former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Defendants say that the purview of the funds is poorly defined, leaving them open to accusations of corruption.
Article 99-1, proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and promulgated in 2011, was largely viewed as excluding the president’s special state affairs fund to avoid exonerating Chen.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The two fund types were separate in the 1940s and 1950s, but combined in the 1960s, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said.
DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) and others therefore proposed an amendment to add the special state affairs fund to Article 99-1.
The KMT disagreed that the funds are functionally the same, accusing the DPP of trying to change the law to exonerate Chen.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
KMT lawmakers in the morning occupied the speaker’s podium to protest the bill. The podium was later retaken by DPP members.
When Deputy Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) entered at 10:05am to begin proceedings, KMT legislators threw fake money at DPP members standing at the podium, while shouting: “Fake COVID-19 prevention, real corruption, all to exonerate Chen.”
They also threw water cups that legislators blocked with signboards, one of which hit the large portrait of Sun, tearing a hole in the canvas.
The KMT caucus was unable to block the majority DPP from voting the proposal through.
With the amendment’s passage, no legal basis appears to remain for the life sentences handed to Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), or the 20-year and 16-year sentences given to former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) and his successor, Lin Teh-hsun (林德訓), respectively.
The Supreme Court yesterday said it would handle the cases according to the law.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the two fund types are inseparable from their history.
In 1949, only Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) had access to special funds, but in 1951, access was extended to ministers and heads of the five branches of government, Ker said.
During the 1950s, special funds were granted to more officials, totaling up to 7,000, he added.
No matter what the funds are called, on the ledger they serve the same function and are a part of transitional justice, Ker said.
The New Power Party (NPP) caucus yesterday said Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) should use his constitutional authority to veto the amendment and return it to the legislature for a second review.
“While we believe that stakeholders involved in the controversies of state-secret affairs expenses in 2006 are entitled to seek justice through legal procedures, we strongly oppose the proposed DPP amendment because of the case involving former president Chen,” the NPP said.
While saying that the KMT set a bad legal precedent in 2013 by amending the same article to exonerate former KMT legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) from allegations of misappropriating public funds, the NPP said the DPP yesterday again set a bad precedent by forcibly passing the bill at the legislature.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan, Yang Kuo-wen and Hsieh Chun-lin
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft