U.S. envoy defends residence revamp; calls allegations 'malicious'

Washington, June 25 (CNA) Taiwan's representative to the United States Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) has defended his decision to use government funds to renovate his official residence, saying that doing so was for "diplomatic purposes" and not for his personal benefit.

He said the allegations surrounding the renovation and personal attacks on himself and his wife were "malicious and fictitious," which is why he needed to defend his integrity.

In an emergency press event, the senior diplomat said the funds were spent to replace old furniture, including beds and sofas that had been in use in the residence for more than 20 years.

The official residence is also used to receive guests in the U.S., which is why he believed a "proper adjustment" needed to be made in support of Taiwan's overseas diplomacy.

"The renovation was not done for personal use or to live in luxury," he said, adding that the newly purchased furniture will remain in the official residence for his successors in the future.

Yui was responding 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 revamp his official residence after taking up the 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, and it accused the envoy of using taxpayer money to buy luxury 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 his official vehicle.

The proposal, however, was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) as the official car used by Yui was only purchased two years ago, the report said.

It did not say if all or part of the NT$8 million allegedly spent by Yui was approved beforehand by MOFA.

The unnamed diplomat further alleged that Yui and his wife often used the official vehicle for personal purposes, and that he even asked the driver to take his family on private shopping trips, which angered many staffers in the representative office because of the couple's "poor attitude," it said.

Yui on Tuesday did not say exactly how much money was spent on the renovation, but indicated that it was definitely less than NT$8 million.

He did confirm, however, that he asked to buy one new Cadillac or any kind of larger SUV to replace the two aging official vehicles that had been used by the representative office for more than a decade.

That was because most American congresspersons, government officials and business leaders, are using similar larger cars as official vehicles, he said.

"I believe we should have similar cars to better fit in with others," he said.

Yui also admitted that he used an official vehicle for shopping purposes several times and even asked the driver on one occasion to take his family to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, and said it was hard as a diplomat to separate one's official duties and personal life.

He said he believed that the use of the official vehicle was at the head of mission's discretion, though he understood that using it for personal reasons might not be appropriate and that he was open to criticism and willing to make changes.

In Taipei, MOFA said on Tuesday that Yui's decision to use diplomatic funds to revamp his official residence followed related laws and regulations and that no irregularities have been found.

MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) also said the ministry would look into other allegations raised in the media report, without elaborating.

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 run for vice president on a ticket with presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in the January presidential election, which Lai won.

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