Kaohsiung prosecutors and police officers yesterday arrested two vote captains for People First Party legislative candidate Chung Shao-ho (
Investigators interrogated more than 20 vote captains and voters who had accepted gifts from Chung's campaign offices in Fengshan city, Tashe township, Taliao township and Meinung township, all in Kaohsiung County.
Prosecutors said that among the suspects, most of the vote captains have admitted that they had tried to help Chung's campaign by offering to buy votes while most voters said that they had accepted gifts from Chung's campaign headquarters.
However, vote captains Lee Kuan-hsiang (
Following approval by the Kaohsiung District Court, they have been detained for further questioning.
Other than Lee and Yang, most of those interrogated were released, while some of them were still being questioned at press time.
Investigators said that Lee is an uncle of incumbent lawmaker Chung and is helping Chung with his re-election bid in Kaohsiung County.
"We have searched the residences of those questioned and discovered a total of 81 packages of tea, eight campaign T-shirts of Chung's, 88 belts and 209 bottles of shampoo," Kaohsiung Chief Prosecutor Hsiao Po-wen (
"Most of those interrogated said that these items were from Chung's campaign headquarters," Hsiao said.
Chung yesterday firmly denied the allegations.
"People who know me will say it is ridiculous that I am involved," said Chung.
"I have said no to all forms of bribery since I became a politician and I always supported our investigators in their anti-vote-buying campaigns. Everybody knows that.
"And I'm continuing to encourage law enforcement officials investigating this case. I believe that the law will prove my innocence when this is over."
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