Control Yuan: Huatan Township Mayor Ku Sheng-min Impeached for Workplace Bullying and Corruption

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 12) The Control Yuan recently impeached Ku Sheng-min, the mayor of Huatan Township, Changhua County. The Huatan Township Office yesterday criticized the impeachment as hasty and unfair. Control Yuan members stated today that Ku Sheng-min's intensive disciplinary actions against employees have been identified as workplace bullying, and he also instructed the cleaning team to use resources to clean garbage on private land, leading to a corruption indictment. The illegal acts are clear, and the Control Yuan's impeachment is based on law.

Following Ku Sheng-min's impeachment by the Control Yuan, Control Yuan members Wang Yu-ling and Wang Mei-yu issued a press release today. They pointed out that the Huatan Township Office yesterday criticized the Control Yuan for "political manipulation before the election" and "disgraceful conduct." However, this case underwent a long and detailed investigation by the Control Yuan members, with clear evidence and significant violations. The Control Yuan expressed deep regret and strongly condemned the Huatan Township Office's attempts to confuse the public and divert attention.

The Control Yuan members stated that between 2019 and 2024, Ku imposed intensive disciplinary actions on sanitation workers, including 28 disciplinary actions within one year and 10 disciplinary orders in a single month. He also illegally dismissed employees three times, all of which resulted in court losses. The Changhua County Government's Protection Committee also reviewed and determined that these actions constituted "workplace bullying," severely infringing on the rights of grassroots workers, with solid evidence of illegal abuse of power.

The Control Yuan members said that in April 2023, Ku was reported to have used his position to instruct the cleaning team to use public resources to transport garbage and bamboo from private land without charging fees as required, resulting in a loss of public funds. Investigation revealed that the private land involved Ku's shares, and prosecutors have indicted Ku under the Anti-Corruption Act.

The Control Yuan members emphasized that according to the Additional Articles of the Constitution, the Control Yuan has independent impeachment power under the law. This case was investigated by Control Yuan members and passed unanimously by the Impeachment Review Committee. The procedure is completely legal, and the pursuit of administrative misconduct runs parallel to judicial power. There is absolutely no pre-election manipulation. (Editor: Su Zhi-zong) 1150612