Scandal brings Chu down to earth

The failure by the court to act on the indictments has prompted Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) to criticize the judiciary branch for its efficiency.

The couple appeared unfazed by the series of charges, however.

Earlier last year, Chu reportedly asked his employees and business associates to move their registered residencies to his constituency and offered them NT$500 each to vote for his re-election on Dec 7. His final showing is believed to have benefited from more than 1,000 so-called ghost voters.

"It is unfair to brand me a `black gold' figure as I have never joined any gang or engaged in anything illegal," Chu said two days after winning the speakership on Dec. 25.

He dismissed the cross-party campaign to seek his ouster as a joke, noting that public representatives may not be removed during their first year in office.

The KMT has ordered its Kaohsiung council caucus to sack Chu in a show of regret for electing him as their speaker.

Former Kaohsiung City councilor Cheng Ming-ching (鄭明進), one of Chu's vote captains, has admitted to dishonest electioneering practices. Prosecutors have demanded Chu jailed for 28 and Cheng for 18 months for this offense.

To further augment his political clout, Chu allegedly offered councilors of all stripes substantial bribes to vote for him as speaker. He had eyed the post in 1994 but was thwarted by then-speaker Chen Tien-mao (陳田錨), whose family wielded formidable influence over local politics.

"I did not pay a dime for the speakership," Chu said a day before his detention, claiming his victory was the result of partisan rivalry between the ruling and opposition camps.

Following the transfer of power, he had warmed up to the DPP and briefly flirted with the PFP.

He originally struck a pact with the DPP council caucus under which they would endorse Chu's bid to run for speaker if he would join the party and help it win the vice speakership.

The plan fell apart only after President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) vetoed the accord and vowed to punish defiant members.

Still, Chu was able to win the speakership, thanks to the backing of KMT, PFP and independent colleagues.

The move reeked of pecuniary tradeoffs, though opposition councilors said they voted for Chu to deny DPP candidates the leading role in the local assembly.

TSU Kaohsiung City Councilor Chao Tien-ling (趙天麟) said money offered for various favors is generally taken by elected officials as part of their benefits.

"That is why candidates lavish so much money on getting elected," he said.