The Control Yuan has issued corrective measures against the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau and its 205th Arsenal after scandals involving abuse of authority, corruption and collusion.
The Kaohsiung-based 205th Arsenal and its supervisory agency, the Armaments Bureau, have been ordered to reassess their internal oversight and evaluation mechanisms, and to address the graft and inefficiency problems in procurement, Control Yuan members Wang Mei-yu (王美玉), Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) and Kuo Wen-tung (郭文東) said in a statement yesterday.
The Control Yuan on Jan. 9 issued a report saying it had impeached three 205th Arsenal officers: chief of engineering and former army colonel Lin Lung-chi (林龍基), and Lin’s two subordinates, Lin Yi-ming (林憶明) and Lu Chien-hsun (呂建勳), who had both been master sergeants.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The trio were found to have abused their authority regarding procurement tenders, obtaining financial benefits from two contractors, and were treated to banquets, entertainment at nightclubs and hostess services, the Control Yuan said.
They also leaked the details of new weapon designs and specifications to contractors, the release said.
Another three officers, including a former colonel surnamed Huang (黃) and two subordinate officers in charge of the 205th Arsenal’s materials supply section, received special treatment from two contractors, including entertainment at nightclubs and hostess services, and were invited to banquets, the release said.
The officers were in charge of procurement, but they colluded with contractors to receive benefits, it said.
“Other instances were found ... of improper actions by these and other staff. They took place for over a year, but no complaints or internal whistle-blower reports were filed,” the Control Yuan said.
During the period, the six officers still received A or A+ grades in their year-end performance evaluations, it said.
“This indicates that the 205th Arsenal has lax management, is lacking supervision and engaged in fraudulent evaluations,” the Control Yuan said.
“The Armaments Bureau has expanded its production plans over the past few years, opening up to private-sector suppliers and contractors. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the efficiency and success rate of procurement programs,” it said.
“Systematic programs must be implemented to assist private firms in producing military hardware, to ensure Taiwan is self-sufficient with regard to its indigenous defense weapons production,” the Control Yuan added.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS