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DPP demands that legislature retrieve
Diane Lee’s salary
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTERS
Saturday, Feb 06, 2010, Page 3
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday asked the legislature to take
action to recover former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Diane Lee’s
(李慶安) salary after she was found guilty of fraud and forgery on Thursday in a
case involving her holding of dual citizenship.
The Taipei District Court on Thursday sentenced Lee to two years in prison for
fraud. Lee was convicted on charges related to holding US citizenship while she
served as a Taipei City councilor from 1994 to 1998 and as a KMT legislator from
1999 to 2008.
Taiwan’s Nationality Act (國籍法) stipulates that holders of dual citizenship must
surrender their foreign citizenship before assuming public office.
Lee had been in public office for 14 years before it was discovered in March
2008 that she had never relinquished her US citizenship.
Saying that the NT$100 million (US$3 million) income Lee had earned during her
terms as Taipei City councilor and legislator were gained illegally, DPP
spokesman Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢) held a press conference urging the legislature
to take immediate action.
DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said the ruling was too lenient. Diane Lee’s
behavior was corruption, but the district court only found her guilty of fraud
and forgery, sentencing her to two years in prison, he said.
On the charge of fraud, the court is empowered to declare in the final ruling
that Lee must refund all of the salary she earned during her entire period of
her public service, the legislature’s Organic Law and Statute Bureau said.
If the court does not make such a ruling, it will be up to the legislature,
which paid Diane Lee’s salary, to decide whether to file a civil suit against
her to recoup the funds, it said. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平)
yesterday said the Legislative Yuan would take action based on the law as soon
as the final court ruling is delivered.
“After the verdict [on Diane Lee’s case] is finalized, the legislature will deal
with the case in accordance with its laws,” Wang told reporters.
Wang did not comment on whether the legislature should also demand payment from
lawmakers who lost their seats because of vote-buying and had their elected
status revoked. The issue needed further deliberation, he said.
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