Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙), her daughter Lin Yi-lin (林羿伶) and others were yesterday indicted on charges including corruption, forgery and money laundering, the Yilan County Prosecutors’ Office said.
The indictments, which involve 10 county officials and five others, originated from a probe into suspected corruption connected to property development projects in the county’s Luodong Township (羅東), the office told a news conference.
Lin Zi-miao, who took office in December 2018 after serving eight years as Luodong mayor, was accused of obtaining NT$78.45 million (US$2.6 million at the current exchange rate) through illegal means, as her salary and income from rent do not account for the sum, they said.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Lin Zi-miao denied the claims at a news conference yesterday and said the probe was politically motivated.
She vowed to run for re-election in the Nov. 26 vote.
“I did nothing illegal,” she said.
Prosecutors and the Agency Against Corruption were using gag orders to stop her from defending herself in public, she said.
Lin Zi-miao also accused prosecutors and the agency of leaking details of the case to the media to influence the outcome of the elections.
Their actions have damaged her reputation and that of county employees, she added.
Prosecutors have said that the then-township economic affairs section chief, a person surnamed Chao (趙), and a section member surnamed Huang (黃) in 2018 falsified land records to help property owners surnamed Liu (劉) and Chen (陳) evade NT$1.12 million in value-added tax.
The property was being filled and paved over in contravention of laws governing agricultural land use, they added.
When the county’s Finance and Taxation Bureau detected the irregularity and filed inquiries demanding clarification, Lin Zi-miao, then running for county commissioner, colluded with others to cover up the falsification of land-use records, prosecutors said.
Liu and Chen also allowed Lin Zi-miao to use a property they owned as the headquarters of her 2018 election campaign without charge, they said.
Lin Zi-miao and Lin Yi-lin allegedly directed the township’s then-economic affairs section acting chief Wu Chao-chin (吳朝琴) to meet with county officials in October 2018 to forge additional papers and certificates to prevent the discovery of corruption, they said.
Officials from the county’s Finance and Taxation Bureau, Agriculture Bureau and Economic Affairs Bureau attended the meeting knowing that they were engaged in a cover-up, prosecutors said.
Later, the landowners permitted the use of their properties for the campaigns of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and legislative candidate Yu Kuo-hwa (呂國華) during the 2020 election, they said.
That agreement — again made in contravention of land-use laws — saved Lin and former KMT legislator Yang Chi-hsiung (楊吉雄) NT$2.4 million, as they could transfer the temporary structure used for the former’s campaign to Han and Yu instead of demolishing it, they said.
Prosecutors recommended a heavy sentence for Lin Zi-miao, saying that her alleged actions showed a brazen disregard for ethical rules and the nation’s administrative system.
A separate investigation was launched over Yang’s alleged destruction of evidence, they said.
The KMT called the charges “a political hunt” and questioned the integrity of the prosecutors.
The judiciary must refuse to be used as a tool for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), maintain political neutrality of the law and give Lin Zi-miao a fair chance to defend herself in court, it said.
DPP spokeswoman Huang Tsai-ling (黃彩玲) said that the charges against Lin Zi-miao brought shame on the county, calling on the commissioner to bow out of the election.
“KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) should apologize to the nation for the party’s decision to back Lin Zi-miao,” she said.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang, Chen Yun and Chiang Chi-hsiung
This story has been amended since it was first published.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old