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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated