Investigators yesterday searched the home and office of Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Zeng Li-yan (曾麗燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Officers from the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau also searched offices of Zeng’s constituency services amid a probe into allegations that she has pocketed government funds earmarked for office assistants’ salaries.
Investigators seized Zeng’s office registry and accounting documents from the past 10 years to examine payments to office assistants.
Photo: Ko You-hao, Taipei Times
Zeng, 68, and her assistants were summoned for questioning at the the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office.
Zeng was sworn in as speaker of the Kaohsiung City Council in July last year after being elected by fellow councilors in a 35-27 vote, defeating Chang Sheng-fu (張勝富) of the Democratic Progressive Party.
Zeng replaced KMT member Hsu Kun-yuan (許崑源) as speaker.
Hsu died on June 6 last year after a fall from a window of his home on 17th floor of an apartment building, an apparent suicide, after the recall of then-Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was confirmed.
Bureau officials said that they received tip-offs that Zeng had pocketed government funds and launched the raids yesterday while the council is in recess.
City councilors are eligible for NT$2.88 million (US$101,745) per year to hire assistants, with the monthly wage of each capped at NT$80,000, according to the Regulations on Allowances for Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Village Heads and Wardens (地方民意代表費用支給及村里長事務補助費補助條例).
The system is apparently prone to abuse, with councilors convicted after registering family members or close relatives as assistants to gain access to the government funds.
In 2009, 20 Kaohsiung councilors were indicted on charges of corruption and forgery for similar offenses.
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