Lawmakers across party lines are proposing amendments to relax regulations on how city councilors use public funds to hire assistants, in an effort to prevent local council members from corruption and fund misappropriation that leads to self-benefit.
The Regulations on Allowances for Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Village Heads and Wardens (地方民意代表費用支給及村里長事務補助費補助條例) states that city councilors in the six special municipalities can each appoint six to eight assistants, with publicly funded salaries of up to NT$240,000 per month per councilor, and each assistant’s wage capped at NT$80,000.
City and county councilors outside the six special municipalities can appoint two to four assistants
Bureau officer one of six suspects in lighthouse case
CORRUPTION CASE: Investigators said Sheng received bribes from a contracting firm owner, and colluded with a law firm to forge paperwork
By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
A Maritime and Port Bureau technical officer surnamed Sheng (盛) was among six people yesterday listed as suspects in a probe into allegations of bid rigging, bribery and collusion involving work on the nation’s lighthouses, after raids conducted this week.
The six, who were released on bail, were among 10 people summoned on Tuesday for questioning at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
A officer at bureau’s Maritime Safety Division, Sheng paid bail of NT$150,000, while the other five, who were from a contracting company and a law firm, paid NT$50,000 to NT$150,000 each.