Kaohsiung prosecutors' crackdown on vote-buying ahead of today's city council elections netted another seven people yesterday.
While two were detained on vote-buying charges, five were released on bail, Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chung Chung-hsiao (
The seven had been working as campaign staffers for four city council candidates from various parties, Chung said.
Voters had been paid either NT$1,000 (US$30) or NT$500, the official said.
Chung said that the Kaohsiung District Court had so far ordered the detention of 13 people for alleged involvement in vote-buying or bribery for today's elections, while 19 had been released on bail.
Prosecutors are withholding the names of candidates whose staffers have been arrested to avoid affecting the elections.
"Vote-buying and bribery have been very serious issues in Kaohsiung during this campaign" said State Public Prosecutor-General Wu Ying-chao (
Police and prosecutors are questioning voters who allegedly received gifts or cash from the suspects.
The Ministry of Justice said yesterday that prosecutors were investigating a total of 81 cases involving bribery or vote-buying in the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral campaigns, and 509 cases related to the city councilor elections.
Six people have been indicted in three different cases so far, the ministry said, adding that prosecutors would "make every effort to crack down on vote-buying" before the elections.
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