Labor ministry misappropriated over US$1.53 million in employment fund: Office

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor has misappropriated more than NT$50 million (US$1.53 million) from the "employment stabilization fund," which employers of migrant workers in certain sectors contribute to, the country's top government audit body has found.

At a legislative hearing on Tuesday afternoon, opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔) asked Auditor General Chen Jui-min (陳瑞敏) whether any of the money would be paid back.

Chen replied that it would be, adding that a preliminary investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the misappropriations topped NT$50 million.

The use of the fund has come under scrutiny recently after ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) last month accused former Labor Minister Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) of using the funds to hold a concert in September.

The concert, during which Hsu sang onstage, was to mark the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Gender Equality in Employment Act.

Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), from the opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), said his investigation found that Hsu had spent NT$3.56 million from the employment stabilization fund on the event.

The employment stabilization fund is made up of monthly employment stabilization fees paid by employers of migrant workers in certain sectors, including fishers, domestic caregivers and helpers, as well as construction workers engaged in designated central government projects.

It is meant to fund policies and measures to help mitigate the negative impact of hiring migrant workers on Taiwanese workers in the local job market.

Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) of the DPP asked Chen how the NAO intended to deal with the misappropriations, to which Chen replied that those concerning procurement would be forwarded to prosecutors, and those regarding negligence would be handled by the Control Yuan, Taiwan's top government watchdog.

Chen also agreed to a demand by TPP Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) to track spending of the fund over the past five years instead of the past three years -- the current scope of the current NAO investigation.