The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado.
The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice.
Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818).
Photo: CNA
However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing.
On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second time after again rejecting a detention request.
Cheng was released by the district court for a second time on bail of NT$12 million after he paid NT$7 million late on Tuesday to add to the earlier NT$5 million payment.
Prosecutors appealed the second ruling at the bail hearing.
After the ruling, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Anti-corruption Committee announced that Cheng’s party membership would be suspended for three years starting today.
Cheng’s lawyer said that he would appeal the latest bail decision.
The High Court in its revocation of the second bail ruling said there were several unanswered questions left by the district court in allowing bail, including why it overlooked the possibility of collusion between Cheng and others, as well as Cheng’s substantial influence in the Taoyuan City Government.
The High Court said that collusion was still likely, as several suspects were released or granted bail after being questioned by prosecutors.
Cheng is well-connected in Taiwanese politics and business circles, which shows he has high political status and social influence, which would make it easy for him to collude with others, it said.
The district court on Tuesday said in a statement that it found no evidence to justify detaining Cheng, as he left his post as Taoyuan mayor more than 18 months ago and it is doubtful he still has influence in the city government.
The district court said that four other suspects have been detained, with only one suspect, an elderly man, granted bail, so there is little possibility they would collude with Cheng.
The case came to light on Friday last week, when Cheng was summoned by the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office as part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving a land zoning deal while he was mayor of Taoyuan.
After questioning him, prosecutors said that they suspected Cheng of having accepted a bribe, leaked information to other suspects in the case and laundered money.
The prosecutors filed a motion to detain and hold him incommunicado.
After serving as Taoyuan mayor, Cheng became vice premier in January last year and stayed in the post until May 20, when he was appointed chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation.
He stepped down from his foundation post on Sunday.
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS