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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS