The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday called on the two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators charged with health insurance fraud to quit the party and return the money they are alleged to have taken within three months.
DPP legislators Peter Lin (林進興) and Chiu Yeong-jen (邱永仁) were suspended from the party on Wednesday soon after they were indicted by the Tainan District Public Prosecutor's Office for health insurance fraud.
Prosecutors charged Lin, owner of the Peter Lin Hospital in Kaohsiung, with defrauding the Bureau of National Health Insurance of NT$190 million (US$5.8 million) by making false insurance claims, and Chiu, who runs the Yeong-jen Hospital, also in Kaohsiung, of making NT$110 million through similar means.
The two legislators could receive five-year prison terms if found guilty.
"The bureau should apply to the court for provisional seizure of their property. If the two legislators fail to return the money, the DPP should take full responsibility," KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) said yesterday.
DPP caucus members agreed that the party hadn't gone far enough when disciplining the two legislators, with caucus whips Chen Chin-Jun (陳景峻) and Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) asking for them to be expelled.
"There are very negative connotations to this issue -- while the health insurance bureau remains heavily in debt, two DPP legislators are busy defrauding it. Will the public be willing to accept just a suspension?" Chen said.
Meanwhile, Hou An Hospital, a hospital in Tainan owned by DPP Legislator Hou Shui-sheng (侯水盛) has also been accused of similar health insurance fraud.
The Tainan District Prosecutors Office sent police into the hospital on Wednesday. Officers confiscated patient's medical records and issued three of the hospital's nursing staff with subpoenas.
Hou yesterday protested the actions of the police, accusing them of cooking up charges against him before having any evidence of fraud.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
Taiwan must act to preempt potential Section 301 investigations as US President Donald Trump moves to a new tariff strategy, following a US Supreme Court ruling that voided tariff measures, an academic said yesterday. Countries running the largest trade surpluses with the US face a growing likelihood of Section 301 investigations, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) said. Section 301 refers to a provision of the Trade Act of 1974 that allows Washington to impose retaliatory tariffs over perceived unfair trade practices, including the running of large trade surpluses. Because Taiwan has become the fourth-largest source of the US’ trade
People hold incense and pray with offerings in front of Taipei’s Kuanghwa Market yesterday. The fifth day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally about welcoming the God of Wealth, during which companies and shops set off firecrackers to celebrate their reopening and pray for good business in the new year.
RSS