Both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said they would discipline members allegedly involved in a vote-buying scheme in the Tainan City Council’s speakership election.
The Tainan District Court at 12:30am yesterday ruled in favor of Tainan prosecutors’ request to detain Tainan City Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) of the KMT, and Tsai Chi-hsin (蔡啟新) of the DPP, Lin Tsung-pin (林聰彬) and Yang Ming-ta (楊明達), and to hold them incommunicado.
After the detention hearing, which lasted for more than six hours, beginning at 6pm on Monday, Tainan District Court spokesperson Kuo Chen-Hsiu (郭貞秀) told reporters that the evidence the prosecutors presented to the court showed that “there was strong suspicion of their involvement in vote buying in the election,” although they all firmly denied any such involvement.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
Since the testimony given by the defendants in the hearing was inconsistent and there are witnesses and suspected accomplices who have yet to be questioned, there would be a risk of collusion had they not been detained, Kuo said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was asked to comment on the detention of Lee, with whom Chu shared a stage to sing You Are My Brother when he was soliciting votes for the chairmanship in Tainan last month, saying he would like to see a thorough judicial investigation into the case.
“Society does not permit bribery in elections,” Chu said.
Asked to respond to remarks from the DPP that he appeared eager to distance himself from Lee, whom he had fraternized with much before, Chu said he could not reject any party member stumping for him, adding that he sang the same song in all his campaign stumping.
Media inquiries regarding whether Lee would be expelled from the KMT before prosecutors formally bring an indictment against him as the party had during two prominent corruption cases involving former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世) and former Taipei city councilor Lai Su-ju (賴素如) were referred by Chu to the party’s spokesperson, Lin Yi-hua (林奕華).
Lin Yi-hua then issued a short statement saying that the party would “activate its discipline and anti-corruption system” and would handle the case “in accordance with the party’s regulations at the earliest possible time.”
The KMT’s disciplinary system is under review after Chu appointed KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) to lead the Central Evaluation and Discipline Committee, the objectivity of which was put into question during the case involving Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng’s (王金平) party membership in 2013.
Separately, DPP spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) told a press conference that party members accused of vote buying would be referred to the party’s Central Discipline Committee.
The DPP has already expelled five city councilors on suspicion of voting for Lee in the speaker election on Dec. 25 last year in exchange for money within a week after the election.
At least three more DPP members were accused by prosecutors of playing a role in the alleged vote-buying scheme, including Tsai Chi-hsin, Pan Hsin-chuan (潘新傳) and Sung Wei-ju (宋偉儒), with Pan and Sung being released on bail on Monday.
On Facebook, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said it was “heart-wrenching” that DPP members were involved.
“People did not vote for us so we can be corrupt alongside the KMT. The DPP will harshly punish its members who hurt Taiwan’s democracy and the party’s supporters, with no leniency,” Tsai Ing-wen said.
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