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SID suspects Lin of
taking more bribes
PROBE: Lin’s wife, Peng Ai-chia, was questioned
for 11 hours yesterday before being declared a defendant in her husband’s case
and a bail of NT$1 million set
By Jake Chung, Shih Hsiu-chuan and Mo Yan-chih / Staff writer and
staff reporters, with CNA
Investigators seize a box of
material yesterday from former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih’s
office in Fengshan District, Greater Kaohsiung.
Photo: CNA
Shen Jo-lan, mother of former
Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih, leaves the Special Investigation
Division of the Supreme Prosecutors Office on Wednesday evening after having
posted a NT$2 million bail.
Photo: CNA
The Special Investigation Division (SID)
yesterday said it suspected former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yih-shih
(林益世) may have taken bribes from others besides the owner of Ti Yung Co
(地勇選礦公司), a Kaohsiung-based business.
The suspicion arose after Lin’s mother, Shen Juo-lan (沈若蘭), voluntarily handed
in NT$18 million (US$603,000) that she had received from Lin to the SID on
Wednesday.
According prosecutors, Lin, who is being held at the Taipei Detention Center,
received bribes in US dollars worth NT$63 million from Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥) to
help Chen’s company secure a slag treatment contract from a subsidiary of China
Steep Corp (中鋼).
An article published by Next Magazine on Wednesday last week alleged that Lin
had taken NT$63 million in bribes to help facilitate a deal between Chen for
slag and waste with iron contents from China Steep.
According to the magazine, as the contract with China Steel Corp was ending this
year, Lin had asked Chen for NT$83 million to ensure a continuation of the
contract, but when Chen did not pay, Ti Yung’s supplies were cut off.
The SID said its investigations into the case discovered that Chen had paid Lin
after converting the NT$63 million to US dollars.
SID officials said it would be illogical for Lin to convert US dollars back into
NT dollars because the action would lead to exchange-rate losses as well as
leaving records at banks.
Prosecutors therefore suspected the money Shen received from Lin might have come
from other bribes.
“We don’t know if the NT$18 million brought to us by Shen was funds related to
the bribery case or if its funds from another case,” SID officials said.
Investigators also opened a safety deposit box, rented under the name of an
acquaintance of Shen’s, on Tuesday, discovering a large stash of NT dollars and
US dollars. The SID said it would investigation whether the money had anything
to do with the Ti Yung bribery case.
Meanwhile, the SID summoned Lin’s wife, Peng Ai-chia (彭愛佳), for questioning as a
witness for the third time. After 11 hours of questioning, Peng was declared a
defendant in the case and bail was set at NT$1 million.
The SID charged Peng with violating the Statute for the Punishment of Corruption
(貪污治罪條例), the Money Laundering Prevention Act (洗錢防制法), and the Criminal Code,
the same charges leveled against Shen.
Peng was the fourth person to become a defendant in the case after Chen, Lin and
Shen.
SID personnel also visited Lin’s Fengshan office and residence yesterday
afternoon, taking away with them another box of material to help with the
investigation.
In related news, Premier Sean Chen called a Cabinet meeting yesterday on
anti-corruption issues and urged ministers to step up their efforts to stamp out
corruption in the public sector.
The premier canceled his scheduled meetings to preside over the Cabinet session,
which showed the importance he has placed on the issue, Executive Yuan
spokesperson Hu Yu-wei (胡幼偉) said.
Hu said Lin’s case was brought up at the meeting, and Cabinet members exchanged
ideas on how to prevent a recurrence.
The premier demanded Cabinet ministers handle anti-corruption-related issues in
their agencies themselves rather than designate another person to oversee the
task on their behalf and report to the Cabinet effectiveness of anti-corruption
measures on a regular basis, Hu said.
C.V. Chen (陳長文), former president of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of
China, who attended the meeting as a representative of the civil sector,
suggested that the KMT caucus whips and senior KMT officials participate in the
ad hoc meeting to be held tomorrow to brief government officials about ethics
and integrity rules, Hu said.
“The meeting is meaningful because it demonstrates the government’s will to
maintain integrity and continue efforts to fight corruption,” Vice President Wu
Den-yih (吳敦義) said.
Weighing in on the case, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) expressed regret over
the scandal and said the city government has adopted a strict personnel
screening mechanism to avoid the appointment of officials with integrity
problems.
Hau, a possible Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate for the 2016
presidential election, said the Lin scandal was a crisis for the KMT and said
Lin’s replacement should be someone with credibility and great negotiating
skills, and someone who could build communication channels for the
administrative and legislative branches.
“I’ve urged city officials to be vigilant and maintain integrity. The city
government adopts strict personnel screening mechanism to avoid integrity
problems, and I have instructed all departments to be extra cautious about
integrity issue,” he said while visiting a local coffee shop to promote the
city’s business loan program.
Lin’s involvement in corruption allegations has seriously damaged President Ma
Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) reputation and raised public concerns about the personnel
appointment mechanism of the Ma administration, he said.
“Personnel appointments are difficult. I have chosen officials who went through
a thorough background check, but were later forced to leave the team because of
integrity issues,” he said.
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