The government is to expand background checks of civil servants with the goal of rolling out the new process by the end of this month, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau said today.
In response to recent espionage cases and to strengthen the current national security mechanism, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has instructed the government to review its measures to vet civil servants’ loyalty to the country.
The changes are focused on widening the scope and content and increasing the frequency of personnel vetting, Investigation Bureau Deputy Director-General Sun Cheng-yi (孫承一) said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Civil Service
The new vetting procedure would also look into individuals’ financial situation and personal relationships, he said.
The new procedures are to be implemented shortly, he added.
The new background checks must be coordinated with the Examination Yuan and should be rolled out within the next two weeks, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Deputy Director-General Hwai Hsu (懷敘) said.
Civil servants in national security or other positions relevant to important national interests, which currently total 1,328, are vetted, Sun said.
However, cases such as that of retired National Health Insurance Administration chief secretary Yeh Feng-ming (葉逢明), who is accused of selling personal data to China, were not caught by the current vetting procedures, Sun said.
Under the current system, agencies may propose to expand the list of positions to be vetted, Sun said, but these new revisions would expand the scope of these loyalty checks for an additional 1,008 positions.
These positions include ministry-level staff, people who handle confidential information and contract employees involved in sensitive matters, Sun added.
While the current system only requires a check to be conducted on staff prior to starting a role, moving forward, checks are to be conducted periodically, Sun added.
Amendments to the Regulations on Special Vetting of Public Officials Involved in National Security or Major National Interests (涉及國家安全或重大利益公務人員特殊查核辦法) need to be approved by the Examination Yuan, Hwai said, a process currently underway.
Asked by reporters whether these background checks would expand to lawmakers, Hwai said that the current process is aimed at civil servants in government and extending it to lawmakers may require a new legal framework.
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