The Special Investigation Division (SID) will conduct an investigation into possible violations of election laws by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), amid allegations that it is pressuring presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) to withdraw from the race, Prosecutor-General Yen Ta-ho (顏大和) said yesterday
SID Director Kuo Wen-tung (郭文東) said that the division would open an official probe as soon as he receives notification from the prosecutor-general’s office.
Yen said that in accordance with the Court Organic Act (法院組織法), the case falls under the purview of the SID, a division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) on Wednesday last week filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office accusing the KMT of contravening the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) by offering Hung financial incentives as a condition for withdrawing in favor of a new candidate to be nominated by the party.
Chen accused KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and party Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) of “politically scheming” to convince Hung to drop out by offering money, a post-election government position or other enticements.
Chen alleged that the KMT has violated Article 84 of the recall act, which stipulates that “anyone who asks for an expected promise or asks a candidate or a person having the qualifications of a candidate to abandon the campaign or conduct certain actions by offering bribes or other undue benefits” is punishable by law.
The following day, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) filed a similar complaint and asked the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to conduct a formal investigation.
Chou said that although Hung has not registered as a presidential candidate with the Central Election Commission, she has been officially nominated by the KMT national congress and completed all due procedure for party nomination, and thus should be considered “a person having the qualifications of a candidate” as stipulated in the law.
The KMT’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday last week decided to hold extempore party congress on Saturday to replace Hung.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to