“The ministry has determined that administrative errors were committed in the process. The scandal has severely damaged the national treasury as well as the image of the government. The ministry will abide by the Law on Discipline of Civil Servants by submitting the report to the Control Yuan,” ministry spokesman Henry Chen said in response to the report in the Chinese-language United Daily News
He said, however, that unlike what the article alleged, the ministry’s report did not contain any names.
Chen said he did not know who had leaked the report to the media and declined to comment on the validity of the report.
The UDN article said that Huang and former ministry counsel Chang Chiang-sheng were identified as having committed multiple administrative errors that had seriously tarnished the government’s image.
The article said that the ministry’s report contained six major conclusions, including the decision to cancel Chang’s appointment as deputy representative to Malaysia and to establish a tougher mechanism for future external funding.
Chen said the foreign ministry did not have the authority to launch a judicial investigation and that demerits must be handed down by the judicial system. The ministry would endeavor to meet public expectations by fully cooperating with the authorities on the matter.
The Papua New Guinea scandal broke out weeks before the presidential election in May after the Central News Agency reported that two brokers had absconded with $30 million in government money earmarked for Port Moresby to facilitate the development of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Chang was the last ministry official to see one of the brokers before the money disappeared. Both Chang and Huang were questioned by the authorities and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
