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Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian

KMT threw fake banknotes, cups of water at DPP legislators

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Legislators grapple over amendment to Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act on May 30. 

Legislators grapple over amendment to Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act on May 30.  (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Scuffles broke out among legislators on Monday (May 30) as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members prepared to pass a bill that is designed to retroactively acquit former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of corruption charges stemming from alleged misuse of a state affairs fund while in office.

Amid previous skirmishes among lawmakers, the amendment to Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act passed the second reading and was poised to pass the third reading and become law, as DPP lawmakers are in the majority. Once the amendment passes, it will retroactively clear Chen of both criminal and civil liability for the alleged improper use of the fund when he served as president from 2000-2008.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
Tsai Chi-Chang (center) strikes gavel to call for order. (CNA photo)

In 2007, former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was deemed not guilty by a Taipei District Court of taking half of the special allowance allowed to him as mayor of Taipei for his own use from 1998-2006. While in the majority, the Kuomintang (KMT) in 2011 passed Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act, which made actions tied to the filing, handling, reimbursement, and use of all special funds before Dec. 31, 2006 exempt from prosecution, thus absolving Ma of any potential future prosecution for his usage of the special allowance.

However, DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) accused the KMT of intentionally not including state affairs funds in the article to "humiliate" former DPP President Chen, who had been convicted for misusing state affairs funds while in office. Tsai then proposed the current amendment to the article to include state affairs funds at the disposal of the president.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
DPP legislator Hung Sun-han (left) being shoved by KMT legislators. (CNA photo)

In 2008, prosecutors accused Chen of siphoning NT$104 million (US$3.58 million) from the state affairs fund for his own personal use. However, Chen maintains his innocence, and on April 7 of this year held a press conference in which he presented evidence of 21 payments for legitimate government activities totaling NT$133 million, well more than the NT$104 million he had been accused of misusing.

During the legislative session on Monday, KMT legislators implemented a number of tactics to stall the proceedings. At 7:30 a.m., KMT legislators stormed the rostrum and in the chaos, KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) suffered a head injury when bumped into the wall during the jostling, while DPP legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) suffered a laceration to his hand, reported CNA.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
KMT legislators toss fake banknotes at rostrum. (CNA photo)

At 8:46 a.m., DPP legislators managed to seize control of the rostrum, but KMT legislators staged another assault at 9:12 a.m. During the chaos, KMT legislators at 9:29 a.m. hurled wads of fake banknotes at the rostrum and said that Chen had embezzled real banknotes.

Due to KMT delaying tactics, proceedings that were supposed to start at 9 a.m., were delayed until 10 a.m. Deputy Legislative Yuan Speaker Tsai Chi-Chang (蔡其昌) entered the venue at 10:40 a.m. and announced that the two parties had signed a negotiated conclusion on the state-owned enterprise budget, but KMT Legislator Tseng Ming-chung (曾銘宗) said the KMT had withdrawn the negotiated conclusion.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (third from right) receives treatment for head injury. (CNA photo)

Tsai, then said that if a consensus could not be reached, the next time on the docket would be the amendment to Article 99-1. Irate KMT legislators then hurled cups of water at the rostrum, but DPP legislators were prepared and took out handheld placards to shield themselves from the water.

DPP leaders then called for an end to the debate and put the measure up for a vote. Out of 89 who cast a vote, 57 were in favor of the amendment and 32 were opposed, thus enabling it to pass the third reading.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
DPP legislators try to shield themselves from flying plastic cups of water. (CNA)

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bill to acquit former President Chen Shui-bian
Hung Sun-han's hand was seen to be bleeding after the scuffle. (CNA photo)