Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄), the former Kaohsiung City Council speaker who was convicted in record time for vote-buying, is set to begin his 22-month jail term today.
But he probably won't be spending tonight in jail as there was speculation Chu had fled the country.
At a meeting last night in Kaohsiung, prosecutors could not confirm that Chu had fled and said they hope he would still report to serve his sentence.
"According to his family, Chu has been on a trip since Oct. 2," one of Chu's assistants, who refused to give his name, said earlier yesterday.
But the assistant said that he believed Chu was still in Taiwan but he did not know where.
Chu was one of the most high-profile catches in a crackdown on vote-buying when he was convicted in March of paying voters NT$500 each during Kaohsiung City Council elections on Dec. 1 last year.
The Taiwan High Court's Kaohsiung Branch upheld the verdict in May, and the Supreme Court turned down Chu's appeal on Sept. 25.
Chu never admitted to the charges and claimed that his case had been processed in less than a year, rather than the normal two to three years, because a bribe he gave to the Kaohsiung District Court President Tsai Wen-kuei (蔡文貴) was too small. Tsai denies receiving the bribe.
He has admitted, however, to bribing councilors to vote for him in the speakership election held on Dec. 25 last year. Prosecutors have recommended a 30-month prison sentence for Chu, who will be sentenced on Nov. 27.
Kaohsiung City Council Secretary-General Hsu Lung-sheng (徐隆盛) said the council had not yet decided how to fill the vacant speakership post.
"The council will meet on Friday to discuss whether we should elect a new speaker or let Deputy Speaker Tsai Sung-hsiung (
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