Judicial investigators on Monday conducted raids and summoned Ministry of the Interior (MOI) officials in a probe into suspected bribery and bid rigging of government projects, as well as allegations of a security breach in which Chinese companies might have gained access to personal information of Taiwanese.
In an operation jointly conducted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption, searches were carried out and 41 people were detained for questioning, mostly officials from the MOI Information Center and the National Immigration Agency (NIA), along with contractors.
Those summoned for questioning included two alleged main figures in the case: MOI Information Center Director Shih Ming-te (施明德), who formerly headed the NIA’s Information Division, and former NIA section chief Chen Ying-chieh (陳英傑).
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Of the people brought in for questioning, 17 were listed as suspects and 24 had been questioned as witnesses as of yesterday, prosecutors said.
Shih and Chen were yesterday released after posting bail of NT$1 million (US$33,135) and NT$300,000 respectively.
Nine people from computer system contractors were also released after posting bail.
Other government officials who were listed as suspects were released without bail, including MOI Information Center Deputy Director Yen Wen-chang (嚴文常) and NIA section chief Chang Yi-chang (張益彰).
Shih, when heading the NIA’s Information Division between 2006 and 2009, was in charge of more than a dozen government tenders for upgrading computers and installing digital information processing systems.
Prosecutors said they put Shih and other officials under surveillance after receiving tip-offs concerning corruption, bribery, bid rigging and questionable financial transactions at MOI agencies.
Shih allegedly colluded with other MOI officials in receiving money and other financial benefits from contractors in exchange for leaking information about government tenders.
Shih also allegedly engaged in bid rigging by catering the terms and specifications of government procurement projects to the contractors.
The most prominent case involved a bid in 2009 to install new computer systems that process the personal identification data of passengers entering and leaving the nation at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, with Shih handling the procurement as MOI Information Center director.
Shih allegedly took bribes in exchange for awarding the bid to a company that installed digital electronics and communications equipment supplied by Chinese subcontractors, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
“If this is the case, then our nation’s border controls were opened to access by foreign companies. This is a very serious breach of national security,” he said.
“The personal data of entry and exit passengers contained classified information, such as top government officials, and regular citizens, as well as criminals who were under surveillance,” Chen Chi-mai added.
DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) demanded that the National Security Bureau launch a probe into the allegations.
“This is not any regular case of corruption by government officials to reap financial benefit. If the contractors have Chinese companies or criminal syndicates behind them, then it means our border controls and the personal information of our citizens have been thoroughly penetrated,” Lai said.
It is a grave case that has severely undermined our national security, Lai added.
A media report said that Shih in 2014 purchased a residence in Kaohsiung for about NT$18 million, which he rented out to a contractor who underwrote in full on the mortgage payment to circumvent controls on government officials’ ownership of real estate.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS