A legislative committee yesterday held National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) in contempt of the legislature for repeatedly failing to testify before its hearings following the disclosure of the bureau's secret funds.
The Organic Laws and Statutes Committee voted 10 to nine in favor of an opposition proposal to condemn Tsai, who failed for the second time this week to answer an legislative inquiry over the bureau's two secret accounts worth NT$3.5 billion.
"Tsai probably thought that he would skip legislative oversight by refusing to show up," said PFP lawmaker Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠). "Well, he is wrong. We will continue to request his presence."
Echoing his colleagues' discontent, Tsay Chung-han (蔡中涵), another PFP lawmaker, suggested the committee issue a condemnation against the chief intelligence officer and list him as a persona non grata.
The proposal was adopted over protests from DPP lawmakers, although it has no actual punitive effect.
The Justice Committee has invited the NSB head to attend its meeting today, but aides said Tsai had other engagements to tend to.
Huang Lei (黃磊), deputy director of the NSB, who stood in for his boss, said Tsai has been preoccupied with crisis management in the wake of the disclosure of classified intelligence documents by the media two weeks ago.
"The director has been busy remedying damage likely to stem from the intelligence leak," Huang told the committee.
"That effort has taken almost all of his time and energy. That is why he cannot come to the legislature. He has great respect for the lawmaking body," Huang said.
However, others have said that Tsai will soon step down. They added that President Chen Shui-bian (
Tsai will likely be replaced with someone from the military.
On March 20, both the China Times and Next magazine ran cover stories saying that the NSB set up secret funds in 1994 to sponsor covert operations in violation of budget codes.
The stories, based on classified documents reportedly leaked by former NSB cashier Liu Kuan-chun (
Liu, who was put in charge of the funds, allegedly pocketed their interest payments and fled the country in September 2000 after investigators spotted irregular transactions in his accounts.
Huang said Tsai has been receiving important foreign visitors of late but refused to supply further details.
But opposition lawmakers dismissed the explanation as lame and trite.
"I suggest the NSB director find more innovative excuses next time he tries to dodge legislative questioning," the PFP's Chin said.
Chin and her colleagues said they could arrange closed-door meetings if Tsai is concerned about leaking classified documents during the interpellation.
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