The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it has filed a defamation lawsuit against Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢), who has accused party members of involvement in his attempted murder three years ago.
The incident occurred at 2:23am on Aug. 28, 2020, outside the G.K. Fitness Club owned by Chen in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口).
Chen was shot twice in the arm and once in the leg, but remained conscious throughout the incident, even live streaming while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
Photo: Screen grab from Holger Chen’s YouTube channel
Two members of the Bamboo Union gang’s Baoho Chapter were found guilty for attempted murder and are serving sentences for this case and other crimes, although it has not been revealed who, if anyone, hired them.
Chen in live streams this week repeated accusations he has been making over the past two years that DPP members were involved in the shooting, naming legislators Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) and Yu Tian (余天).
“I have now figured out that it was the DPP that fired the bullet,” Chen said, adding that he has no evidence.
“If the DPP doesn’t sue, then they’re cowards,” he added.
The party yesterday said that attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) has already filed a defamation lawsuit with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Chen has not put forward a “shred of” evidence, “only rumors cooked up by his own imagination,” DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said, adding that the party would not tolerate any “malicious rumors.”
The DPP has put together a legal team to handle election-related cases, convened by attorney Edgar Chen (陳彥希) with Hsueh Chin-feng (薛欽峰) acting as deputy.
Holger Chen said in his live stream on Wednesday evening that this is the first time he has seen the ruling party’s legal team sue a private citizen, especially someone who has stumped for the party in the past.
“I am honored to be sued today as Taiwan’s first, thank you,” he said, adding that since the court is “controlled by the other side,” he can only try his best to defend his case.
Holger Chen alleged Chen Ming-wen has ties with the Baoho Chapter, saying the lawmaker had accepted a request from former Baoho Chapter head Shao Po-chieh (邵柏傑) to help arrange extra visits for a Baoho Chapter member behind bars.
Holger Chen alleged Yu’s ties with the chapter by pointing to Yu in May proposing in the Legislative Yuan an amendment to the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) to include Taiwan depositary receipts.
Holger Chen said the move was an attempt to help Chung Wen-chih (鍾文智), who Holger Chen said was a major financial donor to Baoho Chapter.
Chung in the first trial last year was sentenced to 18 years for price manipulation involving Taiwan depositary receipts, netting more than NT$10 million (US$312,754) in the process.
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