Diane Lee says she will suspend self as lawmaker

She told a hastily-called press conference about her decision at the Legislative Yuan in the afternoon after she had come under fire for her dual nationality that could force her to resign.

Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party, urged Lee to tell the truth. "Lies or cover-ups would only antagonize the voters," she said.

DPP lawmakers called the Kuomintang a "group of impostors" including Lee, who cheated the government out of NT$110 million (US$3.3 million) in pay as Taipei city councilor and legislator since 1994. Lee is a veteran KMT legislator.

They demanded that Lee be fired and investigated for criminal prosecution. She has to pay back all the stipend she has received, they said.

"I have decided to suspend myself until the U.S. Department of State has determined whether I still have American citizenship," Lee pointed out.

In a letter in reply to the request by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information on the U.S. nationality of all lawmakers, the U.S. Department of State said Diane Lee is an American citizen and there is no record to show her citizenship has been renounced.

But the letter also said an American citizen who has sworn allegiance to any other country may be considered to have given up his or her citizenship.

The fact is that such an American citizen may apply for a certificate to prove his or her citizenship is renounced by swearing allegiance to any other country.

Lee did not say whether she has filed applications for that certificate, but claimed her case is not yet closed.

"The State Department has yet to complete the investigation into my case," Lee said, "and my suspension is effective and I stop receiving my pay as lawmaker as from today until the day the result of the investigation is made known."

Wang Jin-pyng, president of the Legislative Yuan, was informed of her decision, Lee said. Wang said he respects Lee's decision.

DPP lawmaker Kuan Pih-ling charged Lee with fraud. "She must have known the law adopted on Sept. 6, 1995 stipulates any public office holder should be fired if he has double nationality," she added.

"And yet," Kuan went on, "Lee, while in the Taipei city council, accused Chen Shih-meng, a deputy mayor of the city, of carrying an American passport."

Chen was the deputy mayor of Taipei while Chen Shui-bian was mayor from 1994 to 1998.

Lawmaker Lin Yih-shih, Kuomintang legislative caucus whip, countercharged. He said the opposition party has at least two incumbent legislators with American citizenship.

"The Kuomintang won't try to protect its lawmaker," Lin promised. "But on condition that any action against Diane Lee is done in full accordance with the law," he pointed out.

There's a possibility that the Department of State may have made a mistake just as it did in the case of two Kung Wen-chi, Lin said. Foggy Bottom apologized for mistaking Kung Wen-chi the Kuomintang lawmaker for Kung Wen-chi, a female American citizen.

Kung the lawmaker is a man, but his name and birth date coincided with those of his American namesake.

"We have information on two DPP lawmakers who have American citizenship," Lin claimed. "We've asked Wang Jin-pyng, our speaker, to request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm it with the American authorities," he added.

Moreover, Lin charged, two former DPP government officials who have American citizenship refused to return their pay.

One of them was Parris Chang, Taipei representative in Bahrain, and the other Liu Kuan-ping, representative in Switzerland.

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