Nantou County Magistrate Peng Pai-hsien (
Chang said Peng will be allowed to resume his job shortly and finish his term in accordance with constitutional codes on local government systems.
At a press conference called after his release, Peng, for whom prosecutors are seeking a 20-year jail term on charges of corruption, promised to devote himself to serving his home county of Nantou, which bore the brunt of the 921 earthquake. He said he would redouble his efforts in rehabilitation work in the county, located in central Taiwan.
Peng, said he has a better understanding of life after spending the past 60 days in jail, adding that he had read more than 100 books and completed a 100,000-word memoir -- mainly on his three-year tenure as the Nantou county commissioner -- during his incarceration.
The legislator-turned-county head labeled his indictment as "the worst catastrophe in my political career," adding that it was the result of a "political dogfight."
While accusing the judiciary of protecting only those who "know the law" instead of "good men," Peng said he believes the judicial system will eventually clear his name anyway.
Peng went on to stress his innocence, saying that he has never taken funds from the foundation he helped establish, ostensibly aimed at promoting post-disaster reconstruction in the wake of the 921 earthquake.
Describing the prosecutors' charges against him as groundless and completely unjust, Peng said he will fight the indictment.
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