Diane Lee Resigns and Puts KMT Justice on Trial.
Friday January 09, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.
Fabrication, fabrication, who would do the fabrication to save Diane Lee? Apparently no one. So as the forces of justice closed in on her falsehoods, Diane Lee decided to try a little fabrication of her own. Two days ago, she brought out letters and documents stating that this was all a mistake, a misunderstanding; the US Consular Office's right hand did not know what the left hand had been doing. Lee had proof that she had given up her US citizenship. She was again innocent.
Then with the noose of justice still tightening, Lee resigned her position as Legislator rather than be disbarred. What's this? With the truth in her corner and vindication at hand, she suddenly gave up? Lee's documentation apparently was the type that you could flash in front of a TV camera and hope that the gullible public would buy it, but it was not the type that you would bring into a court room.
At this point Lee may have even been hoping that someone at AIT might pick up the ball or at least run a little interference for her. But none was to be found. The people at AIT are not like Ma Ying-jeou's secretary; they were not about to stake their reputations or take the fall for Lee.
So, less than two days after she had her alleged redeeming proof in hand, It was crawfish time and Diane Lee began to scuttle backwards until she resigned. There were a variety of statements. It was for the good of the party (that she had embarrassed by being caught); it was for the good of the country (that she had been ripping off for fourteen years etc.) but in the end it was better to resign than be disbarred.
The case does not stop here, though I am sure that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Diane Lee wish that it would. Now the impartiality of KMT justice is on trial. Will the KMT try to sweep this under the rug? Downplay it? Lee has been living a lie for fourteen years. She has been a law breaker abusing the privilege of making the laws of the land. When caught, she continued in her lies until they were useless.
How will the KMT handle this lawbreaking at the highest level of the country? Will Lee be jailed? Will she be forced to give back the US$ 3 million she took under false pretenses? Will she be given a slap on the wrist? Chen Shui-bian was cuffed and jailed before even being indicted. Lee floats around and the KMT dominated Legislative Yuan appears to be stalling for time. They do not even want to discuss it. Justice remains color blind in Taiwan.