Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) yesterday complained of political persecution, while critics urged her to come clean on allegations of illegal financial dealings.
New revelations came to light in a corruption investigation into Lin and several Yilan County officials. Investigators have tracked down about NT$100 million (US$3.43 million) in money transfers to Lin and members of her family over the past two decades from former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Yang Chi-hsiung (楊吉雄).
Investigators alleged that the money have gone to Lin’s two bank accounts, but she did not declare the money as assets, as required by law for elected government officials, a report yesterday by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) said.
Photo: CNA
Yilan prosecutors launched the corruption probe in January, conducting raids and gathering evidence. During questioning, Yang denied any improper dealings, saying the money transfers were loans to Lin and did not break any law.
The “loans” involved more than 100 money transfers over 20 years for a total of NT$100 million.
Prosecutors alleged that these were bribes or illegal political contributions for Yang and his business associates to buy political influence or secure public contracts, reaping kickbacks or other financial benefits, as Lin was elected Yilan County commissioner in 2018, placing her in charge of the county’s finance and budget, and overseeing many construction projects.
Before serving as commissioner, Lin, representing the KMT, had served as Luodong Township (羅東) mayor and Yilan County councilor.
Prosecutors said there were many questionable aspects to the money flow, and might have involved dealings in properties and other assets, as Yang and Lin are the heads of two leading political families with large business holdings.
The investigation has so far uncovered complicated financial dealings and an overlap in the commercial interests of the Yang and Lin families, including Yang serving as a partner and board member of Yi Hsing Mining Co, which is owned by Lin’s daughter.
Yilan residents have filed complaints against the company for forced land appropriation, illegal quarrying and logging on protected forests, resulting in flash flooding and property damage to downstream areas.
Lin denied at a news briefing yesterday that she had received NT$100 million from Yang, calling the allegation political persecution.
Yilan prosecutors in a news release said the case is under investigation and the public should refrain from speculation.
Prosecutors working with the Agency Against Corruption said that Lin and more than 30 government officials and contractors had been summoned for questioning, and that they might be charged with corruption, bribery, money laundering, and other offenses relating to forgery, bid rigging, possessing personal assets of unknown origin and financial irregularities relating to public projects.
One of the projects is the NT$5 billion, 105-hectare economic renewal project in Luodong, with land appropriation and rezoning by the county government suspected of illegally profiting land owners and government officials.
Yang is reportedly also a partner at Luodong-based Po Kang Co, a Lin family-owned business that offers job training and education programs, as well as other technology companies that have profited from public projects tendered by the Yilan County Government.
Chiang Tsung-yuan (江聰淵), a member of the Yilan chapter of the Democratic Progressive Party, said that NT$100 million is a large sum of money, so Lin must tell the public where it came from and what it had been spent on.
The public would like to know if the money had been spent for personal use, campaign expenditure, or to accrue more political and business benefits, Chiang said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday condemned Chinese and Russian authorities for escalating regional tensions, citing Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line and joint China-Russia military activities breaching South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the past two days. A total of 30 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday, entering Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace in coordination with 15 naval vessels and three high-altitude balloons, the MAC said in a statement. The Chinese military also carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” targeting Taiwan on Thursday evening, the MAC said. On
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that Chinese students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation were almost all affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During yesterday’s meeting convened by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) asked whether the visit was a way to spread China’s so-called “united front” rhetoric, to which MAC Deputy Ministry Shen You-chung (沈有忠) responded with the CCP comment. The MAC noticed that the Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan, including those in sports, education, or religion, have had increasingly impressive backgrounds, demonstrating that the
MILITARY EXERCISES: China is expected to conduct more drills in the region after President William Lai’s office announced he would stopover in Hawaii and Guam China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled US transit as a pretext, regional security officials said. Lai is to begin a visit to Taipei’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources told Reuters he was planning stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam in a sensitive trip shortly after the US presidential election. Lai’s office has yet to confirm details of what are officially “stop-overs” in the US, but is expected to do so shortly before he departs, sources
Tasa Meng Corp (采盟), which runs Taiwan Duty Free, could be fined up to NT$1 million (US$30,737) after the owner and employees took center stage in a photograph with government officials and the returning Premier12 baseball champions at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday evening. When Taiwan’s national baseball team arrived home fresh from their World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship victory in Tokyo, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was at the airport with Chinese Professional Baseball League commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) to welcome back the team. However, after Hsiao and Tsai took a photograph with the team, Tasa Meng chairwoman Ku
RSS