Suspended Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Chairman Kong Jaw-sheng (
"I have been suspended and I will leave ... it is impossible for me to return to the post," Kong told reporters yesterday.
"I respect the Cabinet's decision. But I came in [to the position of FSC chairman] with a clean reputation and I hope to leave with one," Kong said.
PHOTO: AP
He repeated these sentiments several times during the press conference, but shied away from giving a date for his resignation.
Stressing that he held himself to high moral standards and had a clear conscience, Kong said: "I am in this situation today because I got in the way of certain interest groups as the head of an independent financial supervisor, whose duties always involve interests worth tens of billions of dollars."
The official, who said he was politically naive, declined to identify the "interest groups" to which he referred.
Looking solemn but tired, Kong made the remarks at a media briefing yesterday after three days of silence following the Cabinet's unexpected decision to suspend him late last Friday.
Kong was questioned for about 13 hours and released on bail of NT$500,000 (US$15,800) last Thursday by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, which is investigating claims he conducted public business for private gain during his chairmanship at the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar,
He was accused of awarding Taisugar's upscale cosmetics franchise to a certain company without going through the regulatory procurement process as well as bypassing government procurement requirements and hiring his sister-in-law as a paid consultant to the company's coffee shop business.
Kong was nominated to chair the FSC by the premier at the time, Yu Shyi-kun, and approved by President Chen Shui-bian (
As the position of FSC chairman has a four-year tenure, and the nation's highest financial regulator is supposed to be immune to political influence in order to safeguard the independent status of financial policy-making, some have questioned whether it is possible for Kong to be forcibly removed.
The confrontation between Kong and the Cabinet appeared to escalate yesterday as the government said it stood by its decision on Kong's suspension.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (
The ruling was made with prudence and legitimacy, and would not be changed, Cheng said, adding that the Cabinet expected Kong to make a "wise decision" as soon as possible.
Denying the allegations against him, Kong said it did not make sense that he would give up a well-paid job at an international investment banking business to make relatively small profits through corruption as a public servant on a much smaller salary.
Kong spent 20 years in the financial industry before entering the public sector, serving as a national manager for Credit Suisse First Boston and president of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc's Taiwan unit.
In light of recent developments, legislators are planning to amend regulations and set up a mechanism to dismiss corrupt officials who are in positions that enjoy political immunity.
Another such position of safety is that of governor of the central bank.
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) is expected to miss the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday, bucking a trend among high-profile US technology leaders. Huang is visiting East Asia this week, as he typically does around the time of the Lunar New Year, a person familiar with the situation said. He has never previously attended a US presidential inauguration, said the person, who asked not to be identified, because the plans have not been announced. That makes Nvidia an exception among the most valuable technology companies, most of which are sending cofounders or CEOs to the event. That includes
TARIFF TRADE-OFF: Machinery exports to China dropped after Beijing ended its tariff reductions in June, while potential new tariffs fueled ‘front-loaded’ orders to the US The nation’s machinery exports to the US amounted to US$7.19 billion last year, surpassing the US$6.86 billion to China to become the largest export destination for the local machinery industry, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI, 台灣機械公會) said in a report on Jan. 10. It came as some manufacturers brought forward or “front-loaded” US-bound shipments as required by customers ahead of potential tariffs imposed by the new US administration, the association said. During his campaign, US president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs of as high as 60 percent on Chinese goods and 10 percent to 20 percent on imports from other countries.
Taiwanese manufacturers have a chance to play a key role in the humanoid robot supply chain, Tongtai Machine and Tool Co (東台精機) chairman Yen Jui-hsiung (嚴瑞雄) said yesterday. That is because Taiwanese companies are capable of making key parts needed for humanoid robots to move, such as harmonic drives and planetary gearboxes, Yen said. This ability to produce these key elements could help Taiwanese manufacturers “become part of the US supply chain,” he added. Yen made the remarks a day after Nvidia Corp cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said his company and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) are jointly
MARKET SHIFTS: Exports to the US soared more than 120 percent to almost one quarter, while ASEAN has steadily increased to 18.5 percent on rising tech sales The proportion of Taiwan’s exports directed to China, including Hong Kong, declined by more than 12 percentage points last year compared with its peak in 2020, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday last week. The decrease reflects the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains, driven by escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Data compiled by the ministry showed China and Hong Kong accounted for 31.7 percent of Taiwan’s total outbound sales last year, a drop of 12.2 percentage points from a high of 43.9 percent in 2020. In addition to increasing trade conflicts between China and the US, the ministry said
RSS