The Sports Administration on Tuesday denied it intended to cover up an alleged Chinese Taipei Volleyball Association election scam, adding that 524 members who failed to turn in affidavits regarding their membership would not have the right to vote or run in board elections.
Members of Fair Game! Taiwan! earlier on Tuesday held a news conference, during which they produced surveillance footage and documents to back their claim that the association’s management intended to manipulate the results of its board members and overseers elections.
Fair Game! Taiwan! spokesman Angelo Chang (張祐銓) said that of 4,321 members who were supposed to pay their membership fee, 3,504 entrusted a group of 29 people to pay it on their behalf.
However, the footage did not show any one person handling a large number of application fees, he said, adding that this was evidence that the association would be holding unfair elections.
Chang asked why these 3,504 members would be able to take part in the elections without paying their fees, adding that the Sports Administration should disqualify them.
The agency in a statement defended its decision to allow the elections to proceed.
It said it became aware of the issue regarding the association’s elections on Feb. 5, adding that administration Deputy Director-General Wang Shui-wen (王水文) went to the association with legal experts and the agency’s ethics department officials immediately after it received the information to collect evidence and investigate.
As the agency identified dubious details in some of the documents it obtained as evidence, it asked the association to suspend all elections on Feb. 12.
The association was also asked to submit a report explaining why 29 people were entrusted to pay membership fees on behalf of 3,504 people.
After a meeting on March 9, the association was asked to get the 3,504 members to sign affidavits confirming that they were not influenced to join the association by a third party and that what they stated in their membership applications was true.
A total of 2,980 members submitted their affidavits as requested, but 524 failed to do so.
The agency on Wednesday last week convened a meeting to discuss what the association should do.
As there was no way to understand the motivation of the 524 people who did not turn in affidavits, it was decided that they should not be allowed to participate in the elections, it said.
Preparations for the board and overseers elections are to proceed, with those who submitted affidavits allowed to vote, the agency said, adding that the association is obligated to publish a new directory of its members and restart the registration process for candidates running for the elections due to the addition of new members.
The agency said it has limited legal authority to investigate, but it would keep all the evidence that it collected and would not return it until the dispute is resolved.
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