Chu An-hsiung official detained in investigation

Investigators yesterday detained the secretary general of newly elected Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Chu An-hsiung's (朱安雄) office on suspicion of involvement in vote-buying.

The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors detained Hsien Ji-yu (賢繼禹), secretary general of Chu's office and a former Kaohsiung County councilor, for his alleged involvement in vote-buying, although he has repeatedly denied involvement.

But prosecutors dropped a request filed on Monday night to detain another suspect, Wu Pin-fang (吳品芳), Chu's sister-in-law and an accountant at his An Feng Group, apparently in a bid to encourage her to disclose information.

"We are trying to approach Wu to get her to tell us more details about the vote-buying, and that's the reason we dropped the request," said Chou Chang-chin (周章欽), spokesman for Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office.

After interviewing him twice, prosecutors suspect that it was Hsien who approached councilors with a vote-buying proposition in connection with Chu's candidacy for the council's speakership, while they suspect Wu handled the financial transfers pursuant to the deal.

Hsien has told prosecutors that he only assisted Chu over his councilor and speakership campaigns, but has never been involved in vote-buying. Wu has said that she has only taken care of the legitimate finances of the group and knows nothing about vote-buying.

A second interview with Wu -- who was first interviewed early last week -- was in progress at press time last night.

Chou also told reporters that one witness had stated that councilors who were willing to vote for Chu to secure the speakership of the council received NT$2 million before the speakership election, and another NT$3 million afterwards. But, he said, they need further evidence to corroborate the charge.

Meanwhile, authorities seized all of Chu's moveable assets late Monday night in connection with NT$ 3.6 million in tax debts dating from stock sales in 1999. Chu has been in detention since Sunday.

Also yesterday, prosecutors interviewed former DPP councilor Jan Yung lung (詹永龍), who is already in detention, and in whose residence NT$2 million in cash had been discovered. Jan told reporters that he is innocent, and that he is upset about his expulsion from the DPP. "I will try my best to appeal," Jan told reporters.

In a further development, reacting to TSU legislator Su Ying-kwei's (蘇盈貴) accusation, made on Monday, that one of the contractors on the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit project was involved in the alleged vote-buying, Lin Wen-yuan (林文淵), chairman of China Steel Corp (中鋼), one of the main investors in the project, said "It's impossible."

Lin said that the speaker and vice speaker of the city council have nothing to do with business aspects of the project and that, in any case, "the project won't make any profit in the short term to benefit politicians."

With central government facing the prospect, as more and more evidence of vote-buying emerges, of having to stage council bye-elections in Kaohsiung to fill the seats of any councilors dismissed from their seats upon being convicted on corruption charges, Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday vowed that investigators will get to the truth behind the allegations. Councilors enjoy immunity from prosecution while the council is in session.