In an attempt to curb corruption, the military has begun conducting its annual inspection of the assets of top officials, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
The ministry drew lots on Friday and selected the first 10 percent of the nearly 2000 service personnel who will face a detailed examination of their assets. The drawing was presided over by deputy chief of the general staff General Wang Han-ning (
A total of 6,231 people are required this year by law to file for inclusion in the draw which has been held since 1993. The officers involved in sensitive purchases or construction businesses undergo mandatory assets inspection.
All military officials above the rank of major general or rear admiral are required to disclose their assets for inspection.
Those chosen in the first draw included eight generals ranging from Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Li Chieh (李傑), Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) director Lieutenant General Chen Yu-wu (陳友武), five other major generals, and CSIST system manufacturing center director Major General Chao Chia-chen (招嘉成).
Some of the names were chosen by journalists in a move by the military to give more transparency to the system.
"The military will do as much it can to remove any doubts the public might have regarding the process of inspecting the assets of those in the armed forces," Chief of the General Staff General Tang Yao-ming (
Following the defense ministry's lead, other sectors of the military will begin their own examination of officers.
Many experts have questioned the validity of the inspections despite the military's efforts to dispel suspicions of corruption in the handling of the program.
An official with the defense ministry admitted that assets reporting can reflect only what the officers disclose to inspectors.
There are mechanisms within the system to safeguard against misreporting assets, the official said, but whether it works depends on those administering the program, the official said.
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