Taipei district prosecutors yesterday said they would look into whether the public display of ballots during elections for legislative speaker and vice speaker on Friday broke the law.
Prosecutors also said they are gathering evidence of possible vote-buying in the elections.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The DPP legislative caucus, meanwhile, accused the KMT of paying as much as NT$5 million to encourage members of the pan-green camp to cast an invalid ballot.
Caucus members alleged that vote-buying cost DPP lawmaker Hong Chi-chang (
Hong lost 106 to 115 against the KMT's Chiang Ping-kun (
Two rounds were needed because neither candidate managed to win an outright majority in the first round.
Shih Mao-lin (施茂林), head prosecutor at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, told prosecutor Lo Jung-chien (羅榮乾) yesterday to lead the investigation.
"We thought it was necessary to launch an immediate investigation into the matter since the situation looked way out of hand," Shih said.
Lo is expected to start the probe today, including asking for videotapes that captured Friday's vote in the legislature.
Although Friday's vote was supposed to be by secret ballot, lawmakers were required to show their ballots during the hotly contested race for vice speaker in an effort to ensure party discipline.
Before the vote, the DPP caucus had passed a resolution that required fellow lawmakers to "display" their votes before placing their ballots into the ballot box.
KMT lawmaker Lin Si-san (
That means prosecutors need to file a written request to be reviewed by a legislative procedural committee and approved by the lawmaking body before any materials are turned over.
Lawmakers found to have publicly displayed their ballots could face up to three years in prison for violating a provision in the Criminal Code that outlaws the leaking of non-national security secrets.
Those found guilty of vote-buying face a fine and up to five years in jail under the Public Officials Election and Recall Law.
DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang (
Freshman DPP lawmaker Julian Kuo (郭正亮) said the secret-ballot system should probably be replaced, as Friday's vote demonstrates.
"When most lawmakers ignore the rules, their action becomes a political one and sends the message that the regulations may not be appropriate," Kuo said.
While internal legislative regulations bar the display of secret ballots, members find ways around the rule.
The KMT and DPP yesterday also traded allegations that the other had attempted to buy votes in the race for vice speaker.
Tsai denied that the DPP had tried to buy votes from independent and KMT lawmakers in exchange for their support for Hong.
"The DPP has never ever tried to buy votes from anybody," Tsai said.
"Do you think that we would have lost the vice speakership race if we indeed had engaged in vote-buying?"
Tsai said he suspected the KMT of vote-buying, accusing the party of offering as much as NT$5 million to lawmakers who intentionally spoiled their ballots, making them invalid.
But Tseng Yung-chuan (
"The KMT has never been involved in vote-buying," Tseng said. "How would we have any extra time or effort to spare when we were busy soliciting votes?"
Meanwhile, the DPP caucus said it was investigating which party member cast an invalid ballot in the second round of the vice speakership race.
"As soon as we find out who that person is, we'll definitely revoke his or her membership," said DPP lawmaker Chou Po-lun (周伯倫), who was Hong's campaign strategist.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
‘INDISCRIMINATE’: The drastic changes would delay many national projects as well as undermine global confidence in Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself, the premier said The Legislative Yuan yesterday on third reading passed the central government budget for this year, cutting 6.6 percent from the Executive Yuan’s proposed expenditure — the largest in history. The budget proposal, which the Cabinet approved in August last year, set government spending at NT$3.1325 trillion (US$95.6 billion), with projected revenues of NT$3.1534 trillion — both record highs — working out to a surplus of NT$20.9 billion. On Friday last week, the opposition-led legislature voted to cut NT$93.98 billion from the budget’s general provisions. During a 20-hour continuous session from Monday until yesterday morning, they continued to slash the budgets of government agencies,
RSS