Council of Indigenous Peoples Chairman Chen Chien-nien (陳建年) was indicted yesterday for buying votes for his daughter in last December's legislative election, and prosecutors also suggested a two-and-a-half-year prison term for him.
Chen proclaimed his innocence yesterday and accused prosecutors of filing false charges against him.
"I have just read the indictment and found the prosecutors are using false evidence against me," he said.
Prosecutors raided the headquarters of Chen's daughter, Chen Ying (陳瑩) two days before the legislative elections. Running as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, she won one of four legislative seats reserved for plains Aborigines.
Yesterday Chen Ying accused prosecutors of trying to victimize her father and her supporters.
Taitung District Prosecutors' Office spokeswoman Hsueh Yueh-yi (薛樂儀) said because Chen Chien-nien has denied the charge, the prosecutors recommended a heavier prison term and also asked the court to deprive him of his civil rights for eight years.
Twenty-seven other people were also indicted for vote-buying or taking election-related kickbacks yesterday, while 40 people who admitting to such crimes had their indictments suspended by prosecutors.
Last August Taitung prosecutors received a letter accusing Chen Chien-nien and his confidential secretary Chen Cheng-hsu (陳正旭) of going to a voter's home and bribing him with NT$ 2,000 to vote for Chen's daughter.
The prosecutors summoned more than 300 people for questioning in the case.
Chen Cheng-hsu, was among those indicted. Prosecutors have suggested a year and a half prison term, with deprivation of civil rights for six years.
Chen Ming-chin (陳敏智), the former director of the DPP's Taitung branch and Hsu Chiu-jung (徐秋蓉), a Taitung representative of the DPP's social development department were indicted for giving a woman named Chen A-lan (陳阿蘭) NT$ 20,000 to spread on canvassing for Chen Ying.
Prosecutors asked for a one-year sentence for Chen Ming-chin and a one-and-a-half-year term for Hsu Chiu-jung.
Chen Ming-chan (陳敏展), a restaurant owner and friend of Chen Chien-nien, was indicted for offering his restaurant as the site of a free party for voters.
Chen Chien-nien is a Puyuma Aborigine and a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) county commissioner for Taitung.
His residence in Taipei and office at Council of Indigenous Peoples were also raided by the prosecutors assigned the case.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS