The Control Yuan (CY) exercises powers independently according to the constitutional five-power system while cooperating closely with the other four branches of the government. Since taking office on Aug. 1st, 2014, the fifth-term CY Members have been dedicated to carrying out supervisory powers and anti-corruption measures. Their performance has been fruitful, as seen in the following five sections:
1. Protecting human rights and safeguarding social justice
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, of the 1,665 investigation reports reviewed by CY committees and selected by the CY Members as human rights related, 990 concerned the protection of human rights. Among these, 372 dealt with rights of specific identities, such as women, children and youths, people with disabilities, the elderly, indigenous people, and migrant workers. It is obvious that CY investigations touched on the rights of disadvantaged groups and provided justice for grave violations of those rights, such as the death of an Indonesian fisherman onboard the fishing vessel Fu Tzu Chun, the corporal punishment of the mentally challenged at National Tainan Special School, the employment rights of people with physical or mental health conditions, as well as the long-neglected rights of intersex people.
2. Reducing public expenditures and increasing annual income
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, by following recommendations for corrective measures proposed by the CY, the various government agencies saved the state coffers a total of almost NT$7.19 billion through reduced spending, foremost among which were the planning of military engineering by the Ministry of National Defense and the improvement of water leakage rates and renewal of pipelines by Taiwan Water Corporation.
In addition, through investigations and follow-up monitoring, the CY helped increase government annual income by more than NT$34.47 billion, primary among which were the handling of tax defaulters and the examination of real estate transactions by the Ministry of Finance.
3. Promoting good governance and redressing public grievances
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, by following recommendations for corrective measures proposed by the CY, 4,877 concrete improvement measures were proposed. Among these, social justice measures, at 1,249, accounted for the largest share, followed by national construction at 994. Important investigations included the enhancement of the seismic resistance following a major earthquake in Hualien and the violation of the people’s property rights by rapid transit joint development buildings.
In addition, 970 laws and regulations were amended (948) or repealed (22), among which social justice accounted for the largest share at 272, followed by art and science at 249, including laws regarding major political and corporate criminals considered flight risks, the transformation of juvenile probation education institutions, and the amendment of relevant juvenile laws.
4. Impeaching corrupt officials and upholding ethical standards
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, the CY established one censure case, resulting one person being censured. In addition, the CY established 160 impeachment cases with a total of 231 persons being impeached. The disciplinary authority has imposed sanctions on 182 persons, including a former deputy magistrate of Taoyuan County for accepting bribes from public housing contractors and a judge for paying for sexual services during work hours. The former was dismissed from office and suspended from appointment for five years, while the latter was removed from judgeship duties and transferred to a non-judgeship position.
5. Implementing anti-corruption laws and promoting clean politics
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, the CY received 60,832 property declaration forms from public servants and reviewed 60,879 forms (including those from the backlog). As for recusals for conflicts of interest, the CY received 205 recusal cases from individual public servants and 599 cases forwarded from various relevant agencies and interest groups; a total of 139 recusal cases were reported by civilians, sent by integrity agencies, or initiated based on media reports; 66 follow-ups were conducted on prosecution of corruption cases forwarded from the Ministry of Justice. The CY also received 4,751 applications from candidates and 58 from political parties for the establishment of political donation accounts, as well as handling 6,020 political donation accounting reports.
During the period from Aug. 2014 to May 2020, a total of 977 anti-corruption cases received disciplinary sanctions. Among these, 254 cases violated the Act on Property Declaration by Public Servants, with fines amounting to NT$62.12 million; 17 cases violated the Act on Recusal of Public Servants Due to Conflicts of Interest, with fines amounting to NT$25.13 million; 706 cases violated the Political Donation Act, with fines or confiscations amounting to NT$126.5 million. Furthermore, the CY handled 330 deposits of political donations in the treasury, about NT$42.75 million in total.
Since taking office on Aug. 1st, 2014, the fifth-term CY Members have been actively carrying out their duties, building on the foundation laid by past CY Members. In addition to detecting illegal practices and eliminating malpractice, the CY Members are dedicated to promoting effective governance, redressing public grievances, and the protection of human rights of all kinds.