The High Court on Tuesday rejected a second appeal by prosecutors to detain Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee member Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田), who is suspected of vote-buying in the local elections in November last year.
The High Court upheld the order given by the Shilin District Court on Saturday last week to release Hsiao on bail of NT$15 million (US$493,632), ruling that Hsiao was neither a flight risk nor capable of destroying, forging or colluding with others to tamper with evidence.
The Shilin District Court first rejected a request by prosecutors to detain Hsiao on Tuesday last week, when it set Hsiao’s bail at NT$8 million.
Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei Times
Prosecutors appealed the ruling, resulting in the court’s decision on Saturday last week to increase the bail amount, but prosecutors appealed to detain Hsiao and hold him incommunicado, a request the High Court rejected.
Hsiao, 69, voluntarily reported to the prosecutors’ office on Tuesday last week after a warrant for his arrest was issued on Dec. 29 last year, as he did not respond to a summons related to allegations of vote-buying on behalf of KMT Taipei City Council candidate Lin Hsing-er (林杏兒).
Prosecutors and investigators involved in the case said they received a tip-off alleging that Hsiao and one of Lin’s local campaign officials surnamed Tseng (曾) made payments to borough warden candidates in the Shilin and Beitou constituency where Lin was running.
They allegedly paid NT$6,000 to NT$10,000 to the borough warden candidates to gain their support and promote Lin’s candidacy, Chinese-language media reported.
Lin won the race and her victory was confirmed by the Central Election Commission on Dec. 2 last year, but prosecutors filed a suit on Dec. 30 to annul Lin’s election amid the vote-buying allegations.
Candidates are considered to have engaged in vote-buying if they participated in, abetted or condoned vote-buying committed on their behalf, regardless of whether the bribes originated from the candidates themselves, prosecutors said, citing the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
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