In separate cases yesterday, investigations moved forward following allegations of corruption involving two local politicians, who are accused of pocketing millions of New Taiwan dollars in government funds by using fake accounting documents to claim money for office staff and expenditure.
The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office indicted former Tainan city councilor Chen Wen-ko (陳文科) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who served from 2010 to 2014, on corruption charges involving allegedly fraudulent claims for government subsidies for salaries paid to seven office workers.
Chen pocketed NT$6.49 million (US$216,117), prosecutors said.
He was charged with breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) after an investigation showed that none of the staff ever worked at Chen’s office, they said.
“Chen registered the names of the seven people to collect their salaries, which came from government subsidies, despite knowing they were not working for him,” Tainan deputy chief prosecutor Ko Yi-ling (柯怡伶) said. “Chen set up accounts for the seven, but investigations found he collected the money from the accounts for himself.”
In a separate case, Taoyuan City Councilor Chiu Chia-liang (邱佳亮) of the Democratic Progressive Party was detained and had his communications restricted following raids on Monday at his office and other offices, as well as his residence.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office accused Chiu of taking NT$7.24 million in government funds.
Six people were taken in for questioning by prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption and Taoyuan police.
Chiu had made fraudulent claims for salaries for three office workers since January 2011, prosecutors said.
Apart from Chiu, all the people questioned admitted roles in a scheme to obtain government funds for nonexistent office staff, prosecutors said.
Chiu said the three workers were legitimate employees, with two working in the office and the other a chauffeur, according to prosecutors.
A judge granted a request by prosecutors to detain Chiu pending further investigation, ruling there was sufficient evidence he breached the Anti-Corruption Act.
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