An investigation into Tsai Chi-hao (蔡其豪), captain of the Kinmen County Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division and brother-in-law of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Jessica Chen (陳玉珍), found alleged misconduct, Control Yuan member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said on Friday.
In presenting her report, Chi told the Control Yuan that Tsai was found to have contravened regulations.
Later that day, Kinmen police officials said in a statement that they respected the Control Yuan’s findings.
Photo: CNA
“Upon receiving the official documents of the report from the Control Yuan, our bureau will forward the case to the Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission, and will follow up to determine the legal responsibility of other public officials and supervisors involved in the case,” they said.
The bureau has cited Tsai for dereliction of duty, while other officers have been cited for lack of oversight.
The case gained public attention after some accused Chen and her family of allegedly using their political clout to obtain business contracts and government tenders for family-owned companies.
Chen yesterday said that the investigation absolved her of any involvement in the case.
Chi told the Control Yuan that she initiated the investigation after a complaint was filed in 2019.
The complaint detailed a financial dispute with Kinmen County-based Hai-Ray Construction Co, which is operated by Tsai and his wife, Chen Yu-ling (陳玉玲), Chi said.
“Records show that in April 2019, Tsai applied to his unit for temporary leave from his job as a police captain with suspended pay, although he was to retain his job and rank,” she said.
In his application, he said that he needed to care for his aging parents and that his mother had a serious illness, the report said.
“The temporary leave was from May 1 to the end of August that year,” Chi said. “Documents showed that Tsai and his wife then signed a business contract for their company to supervise and supply cement for a construction project.”
Tsai changed his household registration to the county’s Wuciou Islands (烏坵) and rented a crane truck from Tai Ke-chung (戴克忠), the report said.
Tsai visited Wuciou on July 1 and 15, registering as a Hai-Ray executive who was there to supervise a construction site, it said.
A dispute later broke out between Hai-Ray and the crane truck owner, with Tai filing a complaint about unpaid wages and repair costs, while another complaint was filed about the company owing wages to hired workers, it added.
During the investigation, Tsai told Chi that his wife owned the company and that although he went to supervise construction, he did not take a salary, it said.
Chi said that Tsai had contravened regulations prohibiting police officers from taking on outside work.
“Wuciou is near the Chinese coast ... and all arrivals must receive approval in advance. The investigation found that Tsai and his wife rented a speedboat to travel from Kinmen to Wuciou, but when they arrived at the islands they registered fraudulently, not stating their intended business purpose,” Chi said.
The investigation found that naval personnel in Wuciou allegedly colluded with the couple, as they were unable to provide complete records of their arrivals and departures, she added.
As a result, the Control Yuan has formally requested that the navy conduct its own investigation into possible contraventions, she said.
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