The Executive Yuan said yesterday it has always believed in the innocence of Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), acting director-general of the Department of Health (DOH). Twu was proved to be wrongfully accused of sexually harassing another man.
"Based on our familiarity with Twu's personality, we've always believed in his innocence," said Cabinet Spokesman Chuang Suo-hang (莊碩漢). "Besides, he dared to put his career on the line, which made us believe in his innocence even more."
Chuang also suggested that Twu may soon be promoted to the post of director-general as the five-day drama finally came to an end yesterday.
PHOTO: CHU YU-PIN, TAIPEI TIMES
"It makes sense to presume that this [promotion] may happen," he said.
Twu, who served as the director of Taipei City's Bureau of Health when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was Taipei City mayor, succeeded Huang Fu-yuan (黃富源) as the DOH's deputy director-general three months ago.
He was chosen to take over leadership of the Department of Health in late August, following the resignation of former director-general Lee Ming-liang (李明亮).
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Speculation is rife that the sexual harassment allegation has been prompted by jealousy of Twu's rapid rise in the civil service hierarchy.
On Tuesday, Chinese-language media reported that Twu is a bisexual and that he kissed a man against the man's will during an event celebrating Twu's promotion at a KTV parlor. Twu then allegedly licked the ears of the individual and asked him to have sex with him.
PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安), who represented the alleged victim, Cheng Ko-jung (鄭可榮), presented a petition letter to the premier on behalf of her client during a legislative recess on Tuesday afternoon.
After showing Yu the name and social identification number of Cheng, Lee tore off that part of the letter to protect his privacy.
The premier then telephoned Twu to ask him about the matter. Twu told the premier that he has never been to any KTV parlor since he took office and that he was visiting his sick mother on the day of the incident.
Responding to a query by a KMT lawmaker on the legislative floor on Tuesday afternoon, Yu refused to investigate the matter, claiming the lack of the names of the people concerned.
Stunned by Yu's response, Lee called on the premier and Twu to stop lying and said that the complaint is not an anonymous one. She also released two recorded conversations on Friday to back up her charge and petitioned the Control Yuan to launch a probe into Twu's moral conduct.
Angry at seeing his reputation being tarnished, Twu pledged to take legal action against Lee, Cheng and media groups that spread false reports about him.
He also said that he would "immediately resign if the allegation proves to be true."
As a dramatic twist late Friday night, it turned out that it was actually Tu Hau-lin (屠豪麟), the personnel section chief of the health department, who allegedly kissed Cheng. The allegations were apparently directed at the wrong man in what the accuser called a case of mistaken identity.
Political observers said that the case highlighted the fact that lawmakers should not get involved in such cases and that they should let the judicial system take care of them.
"Lawmakers are not God. They don't have the right to accuse anyone simply because an accuser says so," said Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), a political observer and editor in chief of Contemporary magazine.
What they can do, however, is to recommend a good lawyer for the individual and let the judicial system take care of the rest, Chin said.
"It's possible that lawmakers are used by the person filing the complaint because they don't have the judicial right to conduct investigations," Chin said.
Emile Sheng (
Shen added that it is the duty of the opposition parties to supervise the ruling party and "while the political motives are always there, the key lies in whether the complaint stands the test of judicial investigation," Sheng said.
Obviously, in this case, it didn't.
* Political observers say that the case highlighted the fact that lawmakers should not get involved in such matters.
* They say that lawmakers should let the judicial system take care of such matters
* Lawmakers are advised to, in future, recommend a good lawyer for any accusers and let the judicial system take care of the rest.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with