The Pingtung County chapter of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Pingtung County Commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻), a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), in relation to the recycled oil scandal.
KMT chapter head Chang Ya-ping (張雅屏) filed the suit at the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office against Tsao and other county government officials, accusing them of poor handling of the food scare.
The food scandal erupted last week, after it was found that cooking oil supplier Chang Guann Co had been buying recycled oil reportedly made from kitchen waste and grease from leather-processing plants from an unlicensed factory in Pingtung County.
Consumers have responded with fear and anger to revelations that more than 1,000 food makers, including restaurants and bakeries, had used the questionable Chang Guann oil.
Chang said that the county government had failed to take action in the case, which has created public health concerns.
In the same day, Tsao acknowledged flaws in the local government officials’ handling of the case, including “a lack of vigilance.”
He said the food issue is a complicated matter and that he has asked his deputy to explain it to the public and issue an apology over the incident.
In his first public appearance since the scandal broke, Tsao told reporters that the county government was sorry to learn of the food safety issue and had been engaged in self-reflection.
He said that its public health and environmental protection agencies had not been vigilant enough.
The issue came to light because police and prosecutors had been tracking people involved in the problematic factory in Pingtung, Tsao said, adding that the county government would establish closer cooperation with law enforcement agencies to prevent illegal activities.
Tsao, who is near the end of his second term as county commissioner, said he would not shirk his responsibility.
According to county government staff, Tsao had been discussing with his team over the past few days how to deal with the recycled oil issue.
In the lawsuit, the KMT Pingtung chapter also said that the county government was performing poorly, resulting in what the suit described as inadequate emergency services for fishermen in the area.
The suit was filed against the county commissioner, deputy commissioner and many officials in the county’s bureaus of public health, environmental protection and water resources, the urban and rural development and the agricultural department.
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