Taiwan establishes anti corruption agency

Taiwan's President Ma has made anti corruption efforts a central part of his presidency

Taiwan has established an anti corruption agency in an effort to clamp down on corruption, in the wake of a series of corruption scandals involving politicians and government officials.

The agency is called the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) and will be a part of the Ministry of Justice.

“Preventing corruption is more important than eliminating it once it occurs,” Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou said at the opening ceremony on 20th July.

“We trust that the rigorous measures introduced by this agency will convince civil servants of the dangers of corruption and thus make for a healthier, cleaner government,” he said.

Ma also said that the AAC will work to educate people about the social harms that result from corruption and will expand public participation in anti corruption efforts.

Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu said the three main objectives of the AAC were to reduce the rate of corruption, effectively prosecute indicted suspects and safeguard human rights.

According to the Jurist, Taiwan currently has a 55 per cent conviction rate for corruption cases, but members of the ruling Kuomintang party have called for the AAC to promise a 10 per cent increase in the conviction rate.

The Taiwanese government announced the decision the establish the agency in July 2010 following a series of corruption scandals among police officers and judges, according to the China Daily.

Indeed, corruption is becoming a problem in many parts of Taiwanese life. Former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui was indicted in June on changes of money laundering and embezzling money from a secret diplomatic fund.

Another former president Chen Shui-bian is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence after being found guilty of money laundering, briber and embezzlement of government funds in 2009.

In November 2010, 13 people, including three High Court Judges, were indicted on charges of bribery, corruption and money laundering. The three judges were accused of accepting more than US$150,000 in bribes from former legislator Ho Chi-Hui in exchange for clearing him of charges related to a corrupt land-development project.

The AAC will be composed on 180 members who will handle investigations before turning cases over to federal prosecutors.

Sources: BBC News, China Daily, Jurist, Taiwan Today

For more information, please see the Menas ACCS website, here.