Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Dai-hua (林岱樺) and nine others were yesterday indicted on corruption charges for allegedly filing fraudulent claims for assistants’ salaries.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office accused Lin of using the names of relatives to embezzle NT$14.73 million (US$495,393 at the current exchange rate) of assistant wages, along with fraudulently claiming NT$220,000 for overtime work by assistants from 2011 to 2014.
Representing Kaohsiung’s fourth electoral district, Lin has won the seat five consecutive times since 2011. She had announced her intention to run in the DPP’s primary for Kaohsiung mayor and was widely viewed to be a front-runner, but the indictment could derail her bid, pundits said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The other nine people included Lin’s constituency office director surnamed Chou (周), a staff member surnamed Lien (連), an accountant surnamed Huang (黃) at Lin’s legislative office, along with Lin’s younger brother and his wife surnamed Wang (王), and adviser Hung Cheng-wei (洪正威).
Prosecutors accused Lin of contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), misappropriating public funds and making false entries, while the other suspects allegedly aided in embezzling assistant wages and forging declarations to claim overtime pay.
Prosecutors also charged Hung, a Buddhist master at Kaohsiung’s Dongfa Temple (通法寺), with breach of trust and embezzling public donations. They alleged that while holding Buddhist teaching and ritual sessions, Hung sought donations from attendees and siphoned NT$5.91 million into a fund for Lin’s legislative office to pay assistants.
Lin issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, saying that all finances and accounting were handled by her father, Lin San-lang (林三郎), a former mayor of then-Fongshan City (鳳山), and that after he died in 2019, her elder sister, Lin Tai-jung (林岱融), took charge of the finances and accounting.
“I am innocent of the charges. My lawyer and I will present evidence in court to clear my name and acquit all members of my office’s team,” the statement said.
“Through all these years, I have held on my ethical principles and worked for the people of Kaohsiung,” she said.
“I believe in our justice system, and they will find the truth in the end. I will fully cooperate with the investigation to defend my reputation,” she added.
“I will survive this storm and will work and take action to prove that I am innocent of the charges,” it said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS