Court's verdict won't stop crackdown, minister says

Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday said that the Supreme Court's final decision to dismiss the case against former KMT legislator Hsiao Chin-lan (蕭金蘭) -- who had been accused of vote-buying -- was merely the result of the judges and the prosecutors having different points of view about the evidence and testimony.

"Prosecutors had collected enough evidence and witnesses' testimony to believe that Hsiao had bought votes by giving away detection pens designed to identify counterfeit currency," said Chen.

"Judges decided to believe Hsiao's testimony and explanation. That's all. Their decision did not and will not affect our determination to carry out a strict crackdown on vote-buying activities as we did last year."

Chen said that NT$30 is still the allowable maximum value for a campaign gift and any candidate giving away a present that is more expensive than that will be subject to charges of vote-buying.

Hsiao was indicted by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office for vote buying on Nov. 16 last year for allegedly buying votes by giving away the detection pens.

On Jan. 16 this year, the Kaohsiung District Court came up with the first verdict which decided that Hsiao was innocent.

Judge Chen Hsin-wu (陳信伍) said that the detection pens cost only NT$17.5 each, which was lower than the maximum value set up by the Ministry of Justice.

The judge also ruled that a pen would not change a voter's mind to become Hsiao's supporter. As a result, the court decided to dismiss the case.

Prosecutors' appeals to the Taiwan High Court and to the Supreme Court were both rejected.