Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung City councilor Huang Shao-ting (黃紹庭) was indicted on fraud charges on Friday for holding US citizenship during his council term.
Kaohsiung prosecutors said Huang was sworn in as a Kaohsiung City Councilor in December 2006, and ended his term in September last year. During his time as a councilor, he received a total of NT$14 million (US$432,000) in salary, research fees, assistant fees and other subsidies and thereby committed fraud, prosecutors said.
Huang said he would only comment after receiving a copy of the indictment.
According to the prosecutors, Huang obtained a master’s degree from a US university in 1995 after, which he lived and worked there. Receiving a green card after five years, he became a US citizen on Jan. 26, 2006.
In October 2006, Huang returned to Kaohsiung, took part in elections for Kaohsiung City council and was elected to the city council.
Prosecutors accused Huang of concealing his US citizenship on assuming the post of city councilor and of not canceling it until June last year.
The Nationality Act (國籍法) bans government officials from holding foreign citizenship and requires those who do to renounce it before assuming office.
In related news, prosecutors said they were still investigating whether former Kaohsiung city councilor Yang Se-yu (楊色玉) of the People First Party held dual citizenship when in office. Yang has been overseas since February and asked her family to resign her post on her behalf. Kaohsiung prosecutors said they launched an investigation after receiving a complaint alleging that Yang holds Canadian citizenship.
In February, the Taipei District Court found former KMT legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) guilty of fraud and forgery for holding US citizenship while serving as an elected official, sentencing her to two years in prison. Lee is appealing the case.
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