Debate Over Party Assets Committee Budget; Opposition Calls it 'Judicial Life Support'

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 28. The Legislative Yuan's Interior Committee held a budget review today for the Hakka Affairs Council and the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee. KMT legislator Chang Chih-lun questioned the committee's necessity, noting that it has spent over NT$500 million in 10 years and continues to request an annual budget of nearly NT$50 million despite having no new investigation cases, calling it 'judicial life support.' Committee Chairman Lin Feng-cheng responded that legal procedures are essential for reclaiming ill-gotten assets, and that 80-90% of cases are still in litigation. He argued that the litigation process is an extension of the investigation, requiring the committee to provide documents to the court. Legislator Wang Hung-wei also criticized the budget increase as unreasonable. Following negotiations, the committee's media promotion budget was cut by 50%, and portions of its general administrative and business budgets were frozen.