A Taipei city councilor was yesterday released on bail of NT$1 million (US$30,476) and her office assistant detained incommunicado over alleged misappropriation of public funds.
Councilor Chen E-jun (陳怡君), of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is suspected of defrauding the Taipei City Council of more than NT$3 million since 2019, the Shilin District Prosecutors' Office said.
Although prosecutors' request for her to be held incommunicado was rejected, the councilor was ordered by the Shilin District Court to remain at her residence, and is barred from leaving the country for eight months, the court said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Chen is accused of fraudulently claiming assistant salaries, a criminal offense that can lead to a prison sentence of at least five years in prison, prosecutors said.
Chen's assistant, identified by her surname Chang (張), was detained in connection with the case, after the district court ruled that she is "strongly suspected" of having contravened the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
Under law, suspects may be held incommunicado for up to four months in investigative detention with the approval of a court.
After the court's ruling, the prosecutors' office said it would consider whether to appeal the decision and again petition the court to hold Chen in investigative detention.
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