Nantou County should reject former county commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the county’s legislative by-election on March 4 because of allegations that he misused government subsidies to help purchase property, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate and others said yesterday.
Former legislator Tsai Pei-hui (蔡培慧) and other DPP officials made the accusations at campaign stops in Nantou’s Chushan Township (竹山).
“This by-election is crucial for the future of Nantou County. The people need a legislator who has the academic qualifications and experience in the agriculture sector,” Tsai said. “We need a competent lawmaker who will strive to bring economic prosperity and development to the county.”
Photo: CNA
DPP spokeswoman Melody Huang (黃彩玲) said documents show that Lin deceived the public and tax agencies regarding the purchase of a mansion in Nantou City (南投).
Lin made illegal transfers using state subsidies given to elected officials based on the number of votes they garnered, with some of the money used as payments for the mansion and salary for his son, Huang said.
Lin was Nantou county commissioner for two terms from 2014 to last year.
During campaigning, Lin has said that the mansion is worth NT$23 million (US$753,999), despite last year saying it cost less than NT$15 million, Huang said.
“Which is the correct price, or is Lin trying to hide something?” she asked.
Moreover, Lin hired his son as “special assistant” to the commissioner in contravention of laws against nepotism, she said, adding that his son was allegedly paid NT$80,000 per month.
DPP Nantou County Councilor Shen Shu-chen (沈夙崢) said that Lin gave different values for the mansion to evade taxes.
Moreover, documents show that Lin’s wife and son “made political donations” to Lin, with the money coming from Lin’s election subsidy, Shen said.
It was a devious manipulation of money, likely done to evade taxes, she said.
DPP members have evidence showing that Lin used local government funds to organize rallies, Shen said.
During last year’s nine-in-one elections, he gave people gifts while urging them to vote for the KMT’s candidates, which constitutes vote-buying, she said, adding that he should be prosecuted.
“Lin’s words are worthless and he has cheated the public for a long time,” Shen said. “He was caught vote-buying last year, but did not admit it and is yet to offer an apology.”
“Last year, he vowed to complete his commissioner term before contesting a legislative race, so his deception is on full display by running in this by-election,” she added.
Lin did not address the allegations at a news conference later yesterday, instead criticizing Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung’s (陳吉仲) presence in Nantou County.
“There is an egg shortage, but Chen has time to travel to Nantou County to campaign for Tsai,” Lin said. “He should be at his office to work on re-establishing exports to China.”
Lin said that Tsai was a favorite student of Chen’s when he was a researcher.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor
RSS