The Control Yuan voted unanimously to impeach former Atomic Energy Council (AEC) minister Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) after finding consistent evidence of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace, members said on Monday.
The case has been forwarded to the Disciplinary Court for adjudication, and the council has been ordered undergo corrective measures, Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) and Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) told a news conference.
A Control Yuan investigation found four major faults in Hsieh’s conduct while he led the AEC from May 2016 until his dismissal in January, the members said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Investigators found Hsieh guilty of workplace bullying, as he used his position as head of the agency to publicly reprimand and belittle his subordinates, inflicting mental distress and infringing on their personal rights, they said.
To the charge of sex-based discrimination, investigators found that Hsieh hired eight female secretaries while in office, most of a certain height, and asked inappropriate questions regarding their zodiac sign, blood type and marital status during job interviews, they said.
He also required female colleagues to request leave in person — a requirement he did not impose on his male colleagues, the members said.
They also cited misconduct and creating a hostile work environment, finding that Hsieh had inappropriately stared at and touched his female subordinates, and made comments about their appearance.
The members lastly found Hsieh guilty of contravening COVID-19 regulations, as he organized a lunch with his secretary during the Level 3 alert in 2021, which she felt she could not refuse given his station and temper.
Considering the power imbalance and consistency of gathered testimony, all 13 voting members moved to impeach Hsieh, Wang and Yeh said.
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