National Cheng Kung University president Michael Lai (賴明詔) yesterday apologized after a number of professors at the university were accused of embezzling research funds over the past six months.
In a letter to faculty and students, Lai said he regretted what had happened, while the senior officials at the school resolved after a meeting to punish the teachers involved in the alleged embezzlement scheme.
The school said that under a deferred prosecution agreement, it would suspend any teacher accused of embezzling funds for a maximum of one semester and suspend those indicted on charges of embezzlement for a minimum of one school year.
A deferred prosecution agreement is a voluntary alternative to adjudication whereby a prosecutor grants amnesty in exchange for a defendant agreeing to fulfill certain requirements.
The school called the meeting after the Tainan Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday last week agreed to defer prosecution of an associate professor surnamed Chou (周), who was accused of embezzling a total of NT$390,000 (US$12,703) in research funds earmarked for business trips.
Chou has been required to donate NT$400,000 to charity.
Prosecutors said Chou had filed fake business trip receipts for reimbursement between April 2008 and September last year.
However, Chou was not the only professor accused of embezzling funds.
In March, a professor surnamed Tsou (鄒) was indicted on charges of fraud and forgery after being accused of embezzling NT$1.1 million from research funds granted by the Ministry of Education and the National Science Council.
Prosecutors said Tsou used the bank accounts of 13 people, including assistants, students and her daughters’ babysitters, and filed applications for reimbursement for salaries allegedly paid to research assistants, temporary staff and students working part-time for her from November 2007 through November last year.
Two other professors were also indicted on similar charges.
Lai said the cases could be the result of a lack of understanding of relevant regulations on the part of some teachers, adding that college deans and department directors should hold meetings as soon as possible to help teachers better understand the regulations.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS