Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大?) has defended his decision to use government funds to renovate his official residence, saying that doing so was for “diplomatic purposes” and not for personal benefit.
He said the allegations surrounding the renovation, and personal attacks on himself and his wife were “malicious and fictitious,” which is why he needed to defend his integrity.
At a news conference, the diplomat said the funds were spent to replace old furniture, including beds and sofas that had been in use at the residence for more than 20 years.
Photo: CNA
The official residence is also used to receive guests in the US, which is why he believed a “proper adjustment” needed to be made in support of the nation’s overseas diplomacy.
“The renovation was not done for personal use or to live in luxury,” he said, adding that the newly purchased furniture would remain at the official residence for his successors.
Yui was responding to a report in the Chinese-language Mirror Magazine on Tuesday, which accused Yui of spending about NT$8 million (US$245,746) to revamp his official residence after taking up the post in December last year.
Most of the money was spent purchasing high-end sofas, beds and carpets, the magazine quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying, who accused Yui of using taxpayers’ money to buy luxury items.
The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also accused Yui of wanting to purchase a Cadillac luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) worth more than NT$2 million to be his official vehicle.
However, that proposal was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the official vehicle used by Yui was only purchased two years ago, the report said.
It did not say if all or part of the NT$8 million allegedly spent by Yui was approved beforehand by the ministry.
The unnamed diplomat further alleged that Yui and his wife often used the official vehicle for personal purposes, and that he even asked the driver to take his family on private shopping trips, which angered many staffers in the representative office because of the couple’s “poor attitude,” it said.
Yui on Tuesday did not say exactly how much money was spent on the renovation, but indicated that it was definitely less than NT$8 million.
However, he did confirm that he asked to buy a new Cadillac or any kind of larger SUV to replace the two aging official vehicles that had been used by the representative office for more than a decade.
That was because most members of the US Congress, government officials and business leaders are using similar larger SUVs as official vehicles, Yui said.
“I believe we should have similar cars to better fit in with others,” he said.
Yui also admitted that he used an official vehicle for shopping several times and even asked the driver on one occasion to take his family to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, saying that it is hard as a diplomat to separate official duties and personal life.
He said he believed that the use of the official vehicle was at the head of mission’s discretion, though he understood that using it for personal reasons might not be appropriate, and that he was open to criticism and willing to make changes.
In Taipei, the ministry on Tuesday said that Yui’s decision to use diplomatic funds to revamp the official residence followed related laws and regulations, and that no irregularities had been found.
Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said the ministry would look into the other allegations raised in the report, without elaborating.
A career diplomat, Yui served as ambassador to Paraguay from 2015 to 2018, vice minister of foreign affairs from 2021 to last year, and briefly as representative to the EU and Belgium.
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