Overhaul of U.S. envoy's official residence done by the book: MOFA

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday said Taiwan's representative to the United States Alexander Yui's (俞大㵢) decision to use the diplomatic budget to overhaul his official residence followed related laws and regulations and that no irregularities have been found.

MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said the funds were spent to replace old furniture, appliances, and supplies in the envoy's official D.C. residence.

The refurbishment was necessary because the office is often used to host official banquets and other important events that involve receiving guests in the U.S., the spokesman said.

Liu would not disclose how much was spent on the project, saying he did not have the specific details to hand.

Liu's remarks were made in response to a report in the local Chinese-language Mirror Magazine on Tuesday, which accused Yui of spending around NT$8 million (US$246,833) to overhaul his official residence since he took up the envoy post in December 2023.

Most of the money was spent purchasing high-end sofas, beds, and carpets, the weekly magazine quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying. They also accused the envoy of using taxpayers' money to buy luxurious items.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also accused Yui of wanting to purchase a Cadillac luxury SUV worth over NT$2 million to be the envoy's official vehicle.

The proposal, however, was denied by MOFA as the existing envoy's car was only purchased two years ago, the report said.

The unnamed diplomat further alleged that Yui and his wife often used the official vehicle for personal reasons and that he had even asked the driver to take his family on private shopping trips, which angered many staffers in the D.C. representative office, it said.

In response, Liu told reporters in Taipei that the overhaul was necessary, but that all purchases were made in accordance with the law.

Liu confirmed that Yui initially wanted to purchase a Cadillac to be used as a new official vehicle but that his proposal was denied due to the existing car not reaching the required mileage and age needed to be replaced.

The spokesman also said the ministry would look into other allegations raised in the media report, without elaborating.

Earlier Tuesday, Presidential Office Spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had asked the Executive Yuan and MOFA to look into the allegations surrounding Yui and respond accordingly, also without elaborating.

Commenting on the same issue, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told reporters on the sideline of a Legislative Yuan sitting on Tuesday afternoon there is currently no plan to ask Yui to return to Taiwan to explain the allegations.

He has asked Yui to file a written report explaining the spending and said he believed this would suffice.

So far, it appears that Yui has done everything by the book, Lin said. However, the minister also noted that the ministry might need to overhaul regulations relating to refurbishing overseas offices.

Yui, a seasoned diplomat, succeeded his predecessor Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) as the nation's de facto ambassador to the U.S. in December 2023. Hsiao left the post and returned to Taiwan last year to serve as Lai's running mate for the 2024 January presidential election.

A career diplomat, Yui previously served as the Taiwanese ambassador to Paraguay from 2015 to 2018, vice foreign minister from 2021 to 2023, and briefly the representative to the European Union and Belgium.