The Control Yuan has issued corrective measures against the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau and its 205th Arsenal after scandals involving abuse of authority, corruption and collusion.
The Kaohsiung-based 205th Arsenal and its supervisory agency, the Armaments Bureau, have been ordered to reassess their internal oversight and evaluation mechanisms, and to address the graft and inefficiency problems in procurement, Control Yuan members Wang Mei-yu (王美玉), Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) and Kuo Wen-tung (郭文東) said in a statement yesterday.
The Control Yuan on Jan. 9 issued a report saying it had impeached three 205th Arsenal officers: chief of engineering and former army colonel Lin Lung-chi (林龍基), and Lin’s two subordinates, Lin Yi-ming (林憶明) and Lu Chien-hsun (呂建勳), who had both been master sergeants.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The trio were found to have abused their authority regarding procurement tenders, obtaining financial benefits from two contractors, and were treated to banquets, entertainment at nightclubs and hostess services, the Control Yuan said.
They also leaked the details of new weapon designs and specifications to contractors, the release said.
Another three officers, including a former colonel surnamed Huang (黃) and two subordinate officers in charge of the 205th Arsenal’s materials supply section, received special treatment from two contractors, including entertainment at nightclubs and hostess services, and were invited to banquets, the release said.
The officers were in charge of procurement, but they colluded with contractors to receive benefits, it said.
“Other instances were found ... of improper actions by these and other staff. They took place for over a year, but no complaints or internal whistle-blower reports were filed,” the Control Yuan said.
During the period, the six officers still received A or A+ grades in their year-end performance evaluations, it said.
“This indicates that the 205th Arsenal has lax management, is lacking supervision and engaged in fraudulent evaluations,” the Control Yuan said.
“The Armaments Bureau has expanded its production plans over the past few years, opening up to private-sector suppliers and contractors. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the efficiency and success rate of procurement programs,” it said.
“Systematic programs must be implemented to assist private firms in producing military hardware, to ensure Taiwan is self-sufficient with regard to its indigenous defense weapons production,” the Control Yuan added.
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