Government invesitgates 114 military generals for corruption

Defense Minister Chen Chao-min, in charge of the probe, said 142 military personnel have been found to be involved in 48 alleged corruption cases, which have all been referred to the military high court prosecutors office.

Of the 142, 114 were generals and 27 were officers of different levels, the minister told a press conference following a Cabinet meeting where he had presented the report.

The five-page report included an open letter from Chen and press release.

Chen maintained that the number of generals under scrutiny attested to his ministry's determination to root out corruption in the military.

The report said the three-month effort had identified over 40,000 alleged scam and corruption cases within the government since 2008.

Asked why only 48 out of over 40,000 cases have been referred to prosecutors, Chen said it is just the beginning of the government's anti-corruption campaign.

The investigation was ordered by President Ma Ying-jeou following a string of scandals, with some generals being accused of buying their way up the military ranks.

Ma, who had just returned from a trip to Central America, did not make public comments on the report.

But the report failed to convince lawmakers.

"The report is irresponsible. It's nothing but a few figures," said ruling Kuomintang Legislator Lo Shu-lei after viewing the brief report.

A commentary by the United Evening News said the report was full of empty promises, allowing corrupt personnel to remain free.

The Defense Ministry, as well as the National Security Bureau, have left unanswered many controversial cases in military, the paper said.

But Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng, co-presiding over yesterday's press conference, gave Chen her backing.

She said she could feel the Defense Ministry's determination to stem corruption in the military.

She said the task force formed by the justice and defense ministries for the three-month probe will be turned into a regular anti-corruption office.

She noted that the government has been working on 12 corruption cases involving former President Chen Shui-bian, plus various other cases.

She said these cases showed the "ugly" side of society, but they also marked the rise of an "anti-corruption generation."

Of the 48 cases being scrutinized by military prosecutors, 29 were alleged money-for-promotion scams occurring during President Chen Shui-bian's administration between 2000 and 2008.

According to local media reports in April, members of the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office were investigating some 30 generals promoted by Chen.

The reports said prosecutors would also investigate several-hundred lieutenants and major generals promoted during Chen's presidential stint.

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