Liu Sung-pan
劉松藩
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 2002  8 September 2004
Succeeded byAlfred Chen
ConstituencyRepublic of China (People First Party list)
In office
1 February 1999  31 January 2002
ConstituencyTaichung County
In office
1 February 1996  31 January 1999
ConstituencyRepublic of China (Kuomintang party list)
In office
1 February 1993  31 January 1996
ConstituencyTaichung County
In office
1 February 1990  31 January 1993
ConstituencyTaiwan 6th (Taichung County)
In office
1 February 1973  31 January 1990
ConstituencyTaiwan 3rd (Taichung City, Taichung County, Changhua County, Nantou County)
Vice President of the Legislative Yuan
In office
2 December 1990  31 December 1991
Preceded byLiang Su-yung
Succeeded byShen Shih-hsiung
President of the Legislative Yuan
In office
17 January 1992  1 February 1999
Preceded byLiang Su-yung
Succeeded byWang Jin-pyng
Personal details
Born(1931-12-03)3 December 1931
Taikō, Taikō, Taichū Prefecture, Taiwan, Empire of Japan
Died18 November 2016(2016-11-18) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, United States
NationalityTaiwanese
Political partyIndependent (since 2004)
Other political
affiliations
Kuomintang (until 1999)
People First Party (2000–04)
OccupationPolitician

Liu Sung-pan (Chinese: 劉松藩; pinyin: Liú Sōngfán; Wade–Giles: Liú Sūng-fán; 3 December 1931 — 18 November 2016) was 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 legislature.[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 Commercial 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]

Trial and temporary disappearance

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][17] 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.[18] 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.[19] Though Liu had relinquished his PFP membership a day after his resignation from the Legislative Yuan,[20] the party offered to help him find medical treatment if he would serve his sentence in Taiwan.[21] Liu never acknowledged the proposal, and was subsequently listed as a fugitive in February 2007.[22] In the early 2010s, Liu was reported to have fled to China.[23][24][25] Later, he returned to the United States, and died in Los Angeles on 18 November 2016, aged 84.[26][27][28]

References

  1. "Lawmakers Make Friends". Taiwan Today. 14 December 1987. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. "U.S., ROC Lawmakers In Friendship Club". Taiwan Today. 9 May 1988. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  3. "Liu Sung-pan wins speaker's post". Taiwan Today. 21 January 1992. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016. Alt URL
  4. "Hats In Ring For Yuan Posts". Taiwan Info. 12 February 1990. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. "Ex-speaker indicted for fraud". Taipei Times. 17 May 2001. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. Lin, Irene (24 February 2000). "Calls for impartial justice are mounting over Liu raid". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  7. "Court hears evidence in Kuangsan case". Taipei Times. 2 March 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  8. "KMT lining up Soong's backers for punishment". Taipei Times. 29 January 2001. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  9. Jou, Ying-cheng (25 February 2000). "Another member of the KMT leaves the party behind". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  10. Chen, Lauren (20 March 2000). "Soong sets his sights on formation of new party". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  11. "China official says Strait to remain calm for now". Taipei Times. 2 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  12. "Legislators visit Beijing". Taipei Times. 23 June 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  13. Chu, Monique (11 February 2003). "Lawmakers take quest for WHO support to Europe". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  14. Lowe, Stephanie (21 September 2000). "Lawmakers aid Myanmar". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  15. "'Amity' delegation departs for US to promote relations". Taipei Times. 8 April 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  16. "PFP lawmaker jailed five years, fined NT$30 mil". China Post. 11 July 2003.
  17. "Former speaker convicted". Taipei Times. 12 July 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  18. Yu, Cody (8 September 2004). "Corrupt PFP veteran sentenced to jail". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  19. Chang, Rich (18 July 2005). "Prosecutors in Taichung order arrest of ex-speaker". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  20. Wu, Debby (9 September 2004). "Liu Sung-fan withdraws PFP membership". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  21. "PFP to help fugitive ex-speaker if he returns to Taiwan". Taipei Times. 30 September 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  22. "Prosecutors belatedly put convicted politician on wanted list". The China Post. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  23. Chang, Rich (3 November 2012). "Ministry struggling to get fugitive tycoon repatriated". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  24. Su, Yung-yao; Hsu, Stacy (13 August 2012). "Most Taiwanese imprisoned in China not sent back". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  25. Chang, Rich (8 February 2011). "FEATURE: Cross-strait crime-fighting pact paying off: prosecutor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  26. Hau, Hsueh-ching; Kuo, Chung-han (7 December 2016). "Ex-Legislative Speaker Liu Sung-fan dies at 84". China Post. Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Alt URL
  27. Pan, Jason (8 December 2016). "Fugitive former official dies in US". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  28. Strong, Matthew (7 December 2016). "Ex-legislative speaker dies in Los Angeles". Taiwan News. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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