Judicial authorities have over the past few days carried out searches and questioned suspects over alleged election irregularities in Keelung and Hsinchu City, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung and Yunlin counties.
Independent Hsinchu City mayoral candidate Huang Yuan-fu (黃源甫) was on Saturday released on NT$100,000 (US$3,125) bail after police searched his office following a tip-off that he was allegedly giving out nasal cleaning devices as gifts to voters, estimated at NT$200 in value.
In Keelung, prosecutors were investigating a complaint that a borough warden candidate surnamed Lin (林) had been allegedly handing out NT$1,000 to people in exchange for their votes.
Photo: CNA
In Yunlin County, a man surnamed Hsu (許), who is running for a township council seat, was on Friday questioned along with his two associates for allegedly handing out health supplement products to residents in exchange for their votes.
Searches were also conducted in Chiayi County’s Dongshi Township (東石) on allegations that a county councilor candidate was handing out NT$1,000 to residents for their votes.
Vote-buying allegations have also been reported in Pingtung and Hualien as well as other counties, with local prosecutors questioning implicated candidates and their alleged “vote brokers.”
The suspects could be charged with contravening the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), and if found guilty, could face prison terms and fines, judicial authorities said.
Separately, the nation’s top judicial officials have ordered district prosecutors’ offices nationwide to set up contact centers to monitor election irregularities.
The contact centers would be open around the clock for people to report vote-buying and other suspected illegal activities.
Taipei Chief Prosecutor Lin Ban-liang (林邦梁) on Friday last week urged members of the public to act as whistle-blowers to ensure that the elections are just and fair, as well as to help law enforcement crack down on criminal groups trying to influence the election results through bribery or intimidation.
The government is to hand out financial rewards of up to NT$10 million to whistle-blowers, depending on the scope of vote-buying, Lin said.
A whistle-blower would receive 25 percent of the reward when a suspect is charged and a further 25 percent on the suspect’s conviction in a first or second ruling.
The remainder of the reward would be paid upon delivery of the final guilty verdict, he said.
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