Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday denied allegations that he had “lynched” subordinates by forcing employees suspected of leaking information to the media to take a polygraph test or be fired.
Responding to media queries, Ko said one of the city government employees suspected of leaking survey results showing Taipei city councilors’ inclinations on the Taipei Dome debacle suggested that a polygraph test be conducted to find out who the perpetrator was.
Contrary to what he told the Taipei City Council, Ko said he did not fire a confidential secretary to Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin’s (林欽榮), surnamed Huang (黃), because Huang refused to take the test.
“He definitely did not choose to leave as a result of this incident, but for some other reasons” Ko said
When pressed by reporters on what those reasons were, Ko said: “Do you not know?”
When told that Huang has told reporters that he chose to leave because he was “left without a choice,” Ko said: “Of course, what he did was…” and then paused to reiterate that Huang was not fired over the polygraph incident.
Taipei Department of Government Ethics earlier in the day said that Ko did not issue a directive to administer a polygraph test.
Department Commissioner Liou Ming-wu (劉明武) said that some officials suspected of leaking the information suggested that a polygraph test be conducted, and Ko only signed off on the proposal after it was delivered to him.
Liou said the procedure for the test was legal, as it did not force anyone to leave their posts if they chose not to take the test.
Asked if the department was worried about a negative response from the public regarding the controversy, Liou said: “Of course not. They are confidential personnel, who should assist the mayor rather than sowing discord between the city government and the city council.”
Taipei City Government spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said Huang left voluntarily over “personal reasons.”
Several Taipei city councilors have suggested Taipei City Government consultant Chang Yisan (張益贍) is the person behind the leak.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said the controversy was the result of an “internal power struggle” in the city government, and that Ko had been lenient with Chang by protecting him.
Hsu said Chang sanctioned the leak and Huang was merely a “scapegoat,” as Huang did not have the authority to leak such sensitive information to the media.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) said it was not the first time that Chang had attempted to “make waves,” questioning Ko’s intention of letting Chang retain his position.
In response, Chang, widely regarded as one of Ko’s closest aides, said he would cooperate with the department’s investigations.
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