A Taiwanese diplomat stationed in Brazil was impeached by the Control Yuan on Friday for suspected procurement contraventions and neglect of duties, following the apparent suicide of a subordinate last year.
All 13 Control Yuan members agreed to impeach Feng Kwang-chung (馮光中), head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Sao Paulo, and the case is set to be reviewed by the Disciplinary Court, the government watchdog stated in a press release.
Feng was accused of contravening the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法) in overseeing a NT$10.1 million (US$311,000) refurbishment of the representative office and his official residence in 2021, the Control Yuan said, adding that he was also implicated in a conflict of interest with bidders.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
It was not until the death of Sao Paulo TECO section chief Felix Wang (王之化) in March last year that the office’s unclear accounting and cash shortfall were discovered, it said.
Wang, allegedly coerced into signing off on the expenses, fell to his death from his the 16th floor of his residence. His family accused Feng of defamation and bullying, and took the case to prosecutors.
The case is being reviewed by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, which released Feng on NT$100,000 bail after detaining and questioning him for suspected corruption on Oct. 23 last year.
Friday’s impeachment also highlighted Feng’s negligence in proper recordkeeping and hiring a local firm to manage the office’s accounting, which were deemed severe contraventions, the Control Yuan said.
Feng also violated Wang’s privacy by disclosing his health issues to Brazilian police without confirmation, which clearly indicated a dereliction of duty, it added.
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