Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday said that judges, police and prosecutors will monitor the year-end elections and investigate any cases of suspected bribery.
Amid confusion over what constitutes "vote-buying," the state prosecutor general announced that he would convene a meeting of judges and prosecutors next week to draft a definition of vote-buying with the goal of enshrining it in law.
Speaking at a press conference, Chen said: "Many people are confused about bribery because there is no standard against which people can judge whether a candidate's behavior amounts to vote-buying."
The Ministry of Justice has in the past invited prosecutors and judges to hold public seminars to discuss different cases of vote-buying in the hope of informing the public of what is acceptable and what is not.
"A cigarette lighter, for example, could cost from a few dollars to NT$10,000. If a candidate sends a NT$10,000 lighter to a voter, of course that is an act of bribery. But what if the lighter costs only seven NT$7? What is the standard?" asked Chen.
The Central Election Commission (中央選舉委員會) will formally announce today the holding on Dec 1 of the legislative, county commissioner and mayoral elections.
State Public Prosecutor General Lu Jen-fa (
In the meantime, district courts and judicial offices are to work together to produce a booklet listing all previous cases of vote-buying. Candidates can then refer to the document when they register at the Central Election Commission.
Chen also asked voters to inform the authorities of any unlawful act committed during the election campaign.
He said that any involvement of organized crime in the election would be considered an act of "terrorism."
"The Ministry of Justice won't allow gangsters to get involved in our elections," Chen said. "That is against the law and cannot be permitted."
Chen also said that prosecutors from Keelung, Shihlin and Taipei Prosecutors' Offices have started to investigate the possibility of illegal deals affecting public construction projects in the Taipei and Keelung areas.
"Why were they so fragile during the typhoon? Did anybody cheat on work and materials? This is what we want to know," Chen said.
Meanwhile, 21 prisons nationwide have sent 333 inmates to help clean up homes that were damaged or destroyed by the typhoon.
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