The Executive Yuan’s Civil Service Ethics Department is to investigate an accusation that Taiwan Transportation Safety Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) used his official vehicle for personal matters during office hours.
“The premier has asked the Civil Service Ethics Department to proceed with an investigation into this matter and compile a report within three days,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) said.
“The investigation will also ensure the public’s continued trust in the government,” Chen said.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
MAGAZINE REPORT
The announcement came after the Chinese-language weekly Mirror Magazine reported that Young during office hours allegedly used his official chauffeur-driven vehicle to meet friends in Yilan County, where he also visited hot springs and restaurants.
The magazine also reported that after the board was last year instructed to conduct an investigation into space-related accidents, Young allegedly used this as an excuse to travel frequently to Pingtung County on the premise of watching rocket launches or visiting the Taiwan Space Agency offices.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The allegations were made after Young’s chauffeur was found to have spent more than NT$10,000 per month on business travel costs, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Alfred Lin (林家興) told a news conference.
“Is this the ‘warm and resilient Cabinet’ that the Democratic Progressive Party government is trying to build: allowing government officials to use government-assigned chauffeurs as their personal servants and abuse their authorities?” Lin said, adding that Young should be asked to step down immediately.
DENIAL
Young told reporters in a telephone interview that he had not traveled to Pingtung after the board was charged with investigating space-related accidents.
Regarding his trips to Yilan, Young said he once went to a restaurant there to pay respects to a retired Ministry of Justice official and left after a brief stay.
Young also denied visiting hot springs in Yilan, saying they briefly stopped at a hot spring hotel so that his chauffeur could rest during the trip.
He said the board has budgeted NT$1.6 billion (US$53.26 million) to build a transportation safety research center in Yilan, and he traveled there to examine the project’s progress.
CLASH AT AIRPORT
Separately, the National Security Council (NSC) offered an official apology after one of its officials was reported to have clashed with immigration officers when leaving the country during the Lunar New Year holiday.
The official, who is in charge of administrative affairs at the council, secured security clearance to leave the nation on Jan. 22, Presidential Office spokesperson Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said.
“The official and their family entered customs and immigration at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at about 10pm on Jan. 21, as their flight was scheduled to take off at 12:15am on Jan. 22,” Lin said.
However, “they were stopped at immigration, because the official’s clearance had not yet taken effect,” she said, adding that the official eventually left the country at about midnight.
“Even though the official followed the procedures to leave the country, their failure to clearly explain the matter led to a misunderstanding. The National Security Council ... apologizes to the agencies and personnel affected by this matter,” she said.
New Power Party (NPP) lawmakers said the NSC, National Immigration Agency and Control Yuan should investigate the incident and reprimand the parties at fault, if necessary.
“We have received a complaint that the official yelled and slammed their hand on a table while arguing with immigration officers,” NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) told a news conference.
“Eventually, a Border Affairs Corp chief helped the official and their family board the flight at 11:40pm and asked ground staff to enter their departure records after 12am,” Chiu said.
The NIA should release footage of the official’s altercation with immigration officers, he added.
“We were told that the flight took off at 11:53pm. How could this official use their position to leave the country before the approved time?” he said.
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