Bribe-takersstill seeking amnesties

More Kaohsiung City councilors admitted their roles in the alleged bribery surrounding the election of the council's speaker, Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄), yesterday.

According to Chou Chang-chin (周章欽), spokesman for the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office, two city councilors reported to the office yesterday. One of them turned up with the bribe money he had accepted.

"He came to us with the money, admitted to the bribery and said that he would testify against other suspects," said Chou. "Another also admitted to the bribery and said that he would return the bribe money next week."

Prosecutors offered a 48-hour amnesty on Thursday which expired 4pm Saturday, under which those who offered evidence of the bribery would be given immunity from prosecution.

Although the amnesty period was officially over by the time the councilors arrived at the prosecutors' office yesterday, Chou said that the two still hoped to take advantage of the offer and that prosecutors would drop bribery charges against them now that they have admitted to the crime and returned the bribe money.

Chou said at a press conference yesterday, however, that he could not guarantee that bribery charges against all the councilors, including those who turned themselves in before the deadline or admitted to the bribery after they reported to the prosecutor's office summons, would be suspended.

This was a direct contradiction to his remarks on Thursday when the prosecutors' office first offered the amnesty to councilors who turned themselves in, returned the bribe money and testified against other suspects in the case.

"Prosecutors will have to review the evidence and statements from these councilors before they can decide whether to suspend the bribery charges against them," Chou said. "It is not a done deal yet."

Chou had also said at another press conference on Saturday that for all councilors who turned themselves in to the prosecutors' office before the deadline, charges would be suspended as was promised Thursday.

Although the spokesman still did not want to identify any of the 15 councilors who have reported to the prosecutors' summonses or turned themselves in over the bribery case, reporters stationed outside the Kaohsiung City Branch Office of the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation saw independent Councilor Chu Wen-ching (朱文慶) and KMT Councilor Yang Min-lang (楊敏郎) entering the building yesterday. Chu arrived around 11:40am and Yang arrived around 2pm.

Chu walked into the building quickly without making any comments. Yang said that he just came back to Taiwan on Saturday night.

"I had an oversea trip with my kids and just came back to Taiwan last night. When I saw the summons, I immediately decided to come here and answer prosecutors' questions," Yang said before he entered the building.

Meanwhile, KMT high-ranking officials yesterday said that they will immediately expel their party members if there is confirmation of their involvement in the case.

"We will expel them anyway once prosecutors confirm their involvement, no matter whether they are convicted or not," said KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee Director-General Chen Kang-chin (陳庚金).