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.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
RSS