Legislator Files Charges Against Others for Misconduct; Taiwan Sugar Chairman Wu Ming-chang Speaks Up: 'No Need to Report Raw Materials, Legally No Issue'

In the wake of the Chung Lian carcinogenic oil scandal, Taiwan Sugar detected excessive levels of benzopyrene in Chung Lian's crude oil raw material in May. After rejecting the shipment, Chung Lian continued to conceal the issue without reporting. However, opposition parties questioned why Taiwan Sugar did not proactively report the findings. Today (4th), Kuomintang Taipei City Councilors Zhang Si-gang, Zhong Pei-jun, and Liu Cai-wei filed a criminal complaint at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, accusing Taiwan Sugar Chairman Wu Ming-chang of dereliction of duty. In response, Wu Ming-chang stated that Taiwan Sugar responsibly followed standard operating procedures (SOP) for sampling and testing, and 'did not purchase' any non-compliant batches. Speaking to Central News Agency, Wu emphasized that according to the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act, raw materials do not require mandatory reporting—only finished products or food items do. He explained that while this batch of raw material failed food safety standards and could not be used for edible oil, it might still be suitable for soap, biodiesel, or other industrial applications, which would be Chung Lian's responsibility to manage. Regarding the Kuomintang lawmakers' criminal complaint, Wu stated, 'It's their freedom to do so, but actions must be reasonable. Legally, Taiwan Sugar has no issues whatsoever.' Additional exclusive insights from Storm Media: • Does Taiwan Sugar have a legal obligation to report? A public health professor from National Taiwan University analyzes the regulations: 'It's not that simple'—the Ministry of Health and Welfare's interpretation is not the only possible one. • Does Taiwan Sugar have to report rejected crude oil from Chung Lian? Shih Chou-liang stresses: 'There is no obligation to report raw materials'—the acceptance criteria were independently set by Taiwan Sugar. • Taiwan Sugar detected 'Chung Lian carcinogenic oil' and rejected it as early as May! Yen Wei challenges: 'Where is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs' state-owned enterprises?'