A cross-party legislative panel probing alleged corruption by DPP lawmakers said yesterday there is no evidence to prove their wrongdoing and recommended condemning their accusers.
Wrapping up two months of investigation, the five-member task force said they found no evidence implicating DPP lawmakers Liang Mu-yang (
The controversy surfaced in mid-June when TSU Legislator Su Ying-kwei (蘇盈貴) claimed the three had pressured the state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) to award some of the project's contracts to favored firms.
Su said he had evidence, provided by China Shipbuilding Corp (中船), to back up his charges. China Shipbuilding is in charge of building the plant's reactor pedestal, which experts have found to have serious construction flaws. The allegations were immediately corroborated by PFP Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who said he had also received similar complaints from his constituents.
The legislature set up an investigative committee days later at the behest of the trio, who insist they are innocent. To ensure fairness, the panel drew members from across party lines, including Huang Chao-shun (
Noting that false accusations are commonplace in the legislature, the committee recommended that Chiu be condemned, rather than be suspended, from the legislature as demanded by the accused.
The panelists disagreed on what to do with Su, who some observed demonstrated no malice when making the charges.
Chiu denied spreading rumors and stressed that he had given all of the evidence in his possession to law enforcement officers.
The PFP lawmaker earlier turned down a request to testify before the committee on the grounds he did not want to appear on the same stage with Chen, who he said is fond of political stunts.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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