ID :
10881
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 11:12
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http://m.oananews.org//node/10881
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1,400 bureaucrats received favors from cabbies, 151 punished
Tokyo, June 26 Kyodo - The government said Wednesday that a total of 1,402 ministry and agency bureaucrats have received favors in such forms as cash and cans of beer from taxi drivers when being taxied home late at night after work using taxpayer money, adding that it has punished 151 of them.
Criticizing the act as ''outrageous,'' Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowed to
work to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident and to restore public
confidence in bureaucrats. Among the 1,402 officials, 600, the largest group,
belonged to the Finance Ministry and one official at that ministry had received
over 1 million yen in cash, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka
Machimura.
Of the 151 people, 33 were subject to disciplinary actions in line with the
National Public Service Act, with one suspended from work, 11 facing salary
cuts and 21 admonished. The remaining 118 officials received a warning. It is
rare for the government to punish such a large number of employees at one time.
Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said in a statement he is taking a hard look
at the matter and that he will give up one-fifth of his salary for one month.
The government conducted a survey covering 20 ministries, agencies and other
government bodies.
Of the 1,402 officials, three received cash, 55 received coupons such as those
to purchase beer, and 1,344 received beer and other merchandise.
None of the officials that belong to the Imperial Household Agency, the Board
of Audit, or the Cabinet Legislation Bureau had received such favors, according to the survey.
The code of ethical conduct for national service employees says even if there
are no interests or conflicts involved, those employees ''are not allowed to
receive wining and dining or other forms of favors beyond the norms deemed
appropriate in line with social conventions.''
The move comes after the Finance Ministry said in early June it queried 2,681
ministry employees, including those at the National Tax Agency, and found 383
of them received favors. Most of them got beer while being driven home.
Finance Ministry regulations allow employees to use taxis to go home when they
finish work after 12:30 a.m. Taxi expenses at the ministry in fiscal 2006 came
to around 480 million yen.==Kyodo
Criticizing the act as ''outrageous,'' Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowed to
work to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident and to restore public
confidence in bureaucrats. Among the 1,402 officials, 600, the largest group,
belonged to the Finance Ministry and one official at that ministry had received
over 1 million yen in cash, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka
Machimura.
Of the 151 people, 33 were subject to disciplinary actions in line with the
National Public Service Act, with one suspended from work, 11 facing salary
cuts and 21 admonished. The remaining 118 officials received a warning. It is
rare for the government to punish such a large number of employees at one time.
Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said in a statement he is taking a hard look
at the matter and that he will give up one-fifth of his salary for one month.
The government conducted a survey covering 20 ministries, agencies and other
government bodies.
Of the 1,402 officials, three received cash, 55 received coupons such as those
to purchase beer, and 1,344 received beer and other merchandise.
None of the officials that belong to the Imperial Household Agency, the Board
of Audit, or the Cabinet Legislation Bureau had received such favors, according to the survey.
The code of ethical conduct for national service employees says even if there
are no interests or conflicts involved, those employees ''are not allowed to
receive wining and dining or other forms of favors beyond the norms deemed
appropriate in line with social conventions.''
The move comes after the Finance Ministry said in early June it queried 2,681
ministry employees, including those at the National Tax Agency, and found 383
of them received favors. Most of them got beer while being driven home.
Finance Ministry regulations allow employees to use taxis to go home when they
finish work after 12:30 a.m. Taxi expenses at the ministry in fiscal 2006 came
to around 480 million yen.==Kyodo
