Liu Sung-pan

Liu Sung-pan (traditional Chinese: 劉松藩; simplified Chinese: 刘松藩; pinyin: Liú Sōngfán; Wade–Giles: Liú Sūng-fán; born 3 December 1931) is a Taiwanese politician. He served as the President of the Legislative Yuan from 1992 to 1999. He was the Legislative Yuan's first Taiwan-born speaker and presided over a legislature entirely elected by residents of the Taiwan Area (after the retirement of the elderly mainland representatives in December 1991).

Career

Liu founded a committee seeking Taiwan–United States relations in 1987. The group counted members of the US Congress and Legislative Yuan among its number.^[1][2] He was elected to the speakership of the Legislative Yuan in January 1992. Upon his confirmation, Liu became the first native Taiwanese to lead the legislative.^[3] He was also the first to head a parliament entirely elected by residents of the Taiwan Area, as the elderly mainland representatives retired en masse at the end of 1991.^[4] In 1998, during his tenure as legislative speaker, Liu used his status as the former chairman of Taichung Business Bank to broker a NT$1.5 billion loan to the Kuangsan Group, and in return he received a bribe of NT$150 million.^[5] During the subsequent investigation, Liu's house was raided.^[6][7]

He left the Kuomintang in 1999, after having served two full elected terms as President of the Yuan. Liu then allied himself with James Soong's independent 2000 presidential campaign.^[8][9] After Soong's loss, Liu was named the leader of the New Taiwanese Service Team, an exploratory committee that preceded the formation of the People First Party.^[10] After the end of Liu's speakership, he continued to lead Taiwan in negotiations with China and advocated for the nation to obtain membership in the World Health Organization.^[11][12][13] Liu also backed the democratization of Myanmar and promoted United States–Taiwan relations.^[14][15]

The Taichung District Court convicted Liu for his role in the Kuangsan Group scandal in July 2003, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and NT$30 million fine.^[16] His final appeal was heard by the Taiwan High Court in September 2004. The THC handed Liu a four-year prison sentence and a NT$30 million fine. After the High Court's verdict was announced, Liu resigned his legislative seat.^[17] At the time, Liu was at the Republican National Convention in the United States. While there, he suffered a heart attack and was not medically cleared to fly to Taiwan.^[18] Though Liu had relinquished his PFP membership a day after his resignation from the Legislative Yuan,^[19] the party offered to help him find medical treatment if he would serve his sentence in Taiwan.^[20] Liu never acknowledged the proposal, and was subsequently listed as a fugitive in February 2007.^[21] In the 2010s, Liu was reported to have fled to China.^[22][23][24]

References