Chen Tsung-ming heads vote-buying investigative panel

The nation's top prosecutor will organize a special panel to study election bribery and create measures to prevent vote-buying and facilitate investigations into such unlawful practices in the run-up to the legislative elections scheduled for Jan. 12 next year, a senior official said yesterday.

State Public Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) has been authorized to form the panel, which will be made up of several chief prosecutors, Minister of Justice Morley Shih (施茂林) said.

meeting

Shih revealed the plan a day after convening a meeting on the investigation of election bribery that was attended by Taiwan High Court Public Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Yen Ta-ho (顏大和), Taipei District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Wang Tien-sheng (王添盛), vice ministers of justice Chu Nan (朱楠) and Tsai Mao-sheng (蔡茂盛), as well as Chiang Hui-ming (江惠民), director of the ministry's Department of Prosecutorial Affairs.

A consensus reached at the meeting means chief prosecutors will be assigned more responsibilities to prevent, control and combat vote-buying, Shih said, adding that their performances in this regard would be assessed to determine promotions or transfers.

preventive measures

Law enforcement officers will focus their efforts on preventive measures, such as information gathering and analysis, to minimize vote-buying, Shih said.

He added that law enforcement officers at all levels, from Cabinet positions on down, will hold election bribery investigation meetings.

Bureau of Investigation Director Yeh Sheng-mao (葉盛茂) and National Police Agency Director Hou You-yi (候友宜) will also hold talks with chiefs of their subordinate units to keep track of developments.