Following the confirmation of his jail sentence on Wednesday over his abuse of taxpayers’ money, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) yesterday vowed to appeal as he proclaimed his innocence and announced that his son would run in the legislative by-election being held to fill his post.
Yen, chairman of Chenlan Temple in Greater Taichung, denies abusing his authority as former Taichung County Council speaker and spending millions of dollars at hostess bars and KTV lounges. He pledged to prove his innocence in the courts and said that his son, Yen Kuan-hen (顏寬恆), would participate in the legislative by-election in Greater Taichung.
“I did not abuse my position and I deeply regret the ruling of the Supreme Court. I will prove my innocence through legal procedures,” he told a press conference at the temple.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
Yen Kuan-hen, who accompanied his father at the press conference, promised to devote his efforts to serve local residents.
The Supreme Court found that Yen Ching-piao and Greater Tai-chung Council Speaker Chang Ching-tang (張清堂), an independent, guilty of misusing council funds between 1998 and 2000. It said they spent more than NT$20 million (US$686,600) of council money on their expenses at hostess bars and KTV lounges in then-Taichung City.
The court sentenced Yen Ching-piao to a three-and-half-year prison sentence and his status as a lawmaker will be stripped when the Ministry of the Interior receives written confirmation of the sentence from the court.
Although Yen and Chang are independent politicians, they are deemed close to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their imprisonment could have an impact on the political makeup of Greater Taichung. Two by-elections are to be held to fill Yen’s legislative seat and Chang’s seat on the council.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said yesterday the party would discuss the matter with its local branch before presenting its candidates to run in the by-elections, declining to comment further.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) visited Chang at his home yesterday morning, and said both Chang and Yen Ching-piao had made great contributions to local development in Greater Taichung over the years.
“They have enjoyed great grassroots support in Taichung and made contributions to local development. I believe they will face the verdicts candidly and honesty,” Hu said, declining to comment on the impact of the sentences on local politics.
Rain is to increase from Wednesday morning as Severe Tropical Storm Kong-Rey approaches, with sea warnings to be issued as early as tomorrow afternoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. As of 8am, Kong-Rey was 1,050km east-southeast of the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) heading in a northwesterly direction toward Taiwan, CWA Forecast Center Director Lin Po-tung (林伯東) said. Rainfall is to increase from Wednesday morning, especially in northern Taiwan and Yilan County, he said. A sea warning is possible from tomorrow afternoon, while a land warning may be issued on Wednesday morning, he added. Kong-Rey may intensify into a moderate typhoon as it passes
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Taiwan yesterday issued warnings to four Chinese coast guard vessels that intruded into restricted waters around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA). The four China Coast Guard ships were detected approaching restricted waters south of Kinmen at around 2 pm yesterday, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu Branch said in a statement. The CGA said it immediately deployed four patrol boats to closely monitor the situation. When the Chinese ships with the hull numbers "14512," "14609," "14603" and "14602" separately entered the restricted waters off Fuhsing islet (復興嶼), Zhaishan (翟山), Sinhu (新湖) and Liaoluo (料羅) at 3 pm, the Taiwanese patrol
A former member of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), formerly known as SEAL Team 6, said in an interview with Business Insider that the elite unit’s role in a Taiwan Strait conflict would be more limited than some might expect. The report follows an earlier one in September by the Financial Times, which said the “clandestine US Navy commando unit” has been training for missions to help Taiwan if it is invaded by China. “You don’t use a scalpel for a job a hammer can do,” the former Navy Seal said to Business Insider on condition of anonymity.
RSS