Taitung Council Speaker Wu Chun-li (吳俊立) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who is running for the top job in Taitung County as an independent candidate, was released on NT$1million (US$29,800) bail yesterday morning after he was detained on Saturday for questioning as part of a vote-buying investigation.
Taoyuan prosecutors raided the KMT's Taitung branch office on Saturday and seized NT$400,000 in cash and several electoral registers. Prosecutors had suspected that the party was ready to conduct vote-buying for Wu in the build up to Saturday's election. In a bid to to gather more evidence, prosecutors also raided Wu's Taichung Council office and his election headquarters early yesterday morning, seizing more cash.
After the raids, prosecutors immediately summoned Wu for questioning, releasing him on bail at 7am yesterday.
PHOTO: CHANG TSUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu told local reporters that he was innocent and he would continue his campaign after his release.
In response, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) caucus whip, Jao Yung-ching (趙永清), called on KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday to take immediate action rather than waiting to see if Wu is convicted.
"Bail being set at NT$1 million means this is a serious matter. I don't think prosecutors would impose such a large amount unless they are pretty sure of illegal practices," Jao said.
As many KMT's candidates or their family members are under suspicion of vote-buying, Jao said that Ma must make public his stance on the issue and mete out punishments accordingly.
Apart from Wu, Jao singled out the KMT's candidate in Nantou County, Nantou City Mayor Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿). Lee's wife, Chien Su-tuan (簡素端), is suspected of conducting vote-buying activities on his behalf.
Chien had reportedly been giving out free gifts in order to persuade potential voters to support her husband since July. Chien, however, has denied the allegations and is now out on bail of NT$1.5 million.
Jao, a former KMT member, said that as far as he knows, many KMT local chapters have been conducting vote-buying. Although Wu is running as an independent, he believes that the slush money discovered at the KMT's local chapter is related to Wu's campaign.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
Tainan’s initiative to recruit digital nomads has resulted in several German, US and Vietnamese nationals applying to live and work in the city, the Tainan Research, Development and Evaluation Commission said yesterday. That marked the city as the first in the nation to attract digital nomads, following the launch of the program last month, it said. Although all applicants so far have used work visas or tourism visas instead of the special digital nomad permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the city government believes that the latter would be needed eventually, the commission said. The digital nomads recruited by Tainan would work
RSS