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.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
RSS