Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted Hsu Cheng-kai (許政鎧), a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) borough warden in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和), and his aunt, surnamed Chen (陳), on charges of working for the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in China’s Kunshan City last year to invite 12 borough heads to visit China.
Chen is the general manager of Rich Open Hardware Co in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, and a member of a local Taiwanese business association, the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Prosecutors said that Hsu and Chen were commissioned by the chairman and secretary of the Zhangpu Taiwanese Business Association under the direction of the TAO in Kunshan in August and September last year to invite borough heads from New Taipei City and their relatives to travel to China.
Photo: CNA
The wardens’ expenses were fully covered, while their relatives only had to pay for the airfare, about NT$17,000, with accommodation and meals covered upon arrival.
Hsu invited 12 wardens and four of their families to visit Kunshan, Changshu City, Wuxi City and other locations in China from Nov. 21 to 24 last year.
The group was accompanied by the secretary of the TAO in Kunshan, surnamed Xie (謝), prosecutors said.
They also met and dined with nine Chinese officials, including a first-level inspector from the TAO of Jiangsu Province surnamed Wu (吳), the deputy director of the TAO of Taizhou City in Jiangsu Province surnamed Yu (余), the director of the TAO in Kunshan City surnamed Wan (萬) and a bureau head of the TAO in Nanjing.
Prosecutors added that during the banquet, Chinese officials promoted ideals such as “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one family” and “KMT, keep up the good work.”
The investigation by prosecutors concluded on Wednesday, and Chen and Hsu have been charged with contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) for receiving funding from a source of infiltration for vote buying.
However, as Hsu and Chen have confessed to their crimes and exhibited good behavior, the prosecutors asked the court for lenient sentences.
As for the 12 wardens who accepted the discounted hospitality, the prosecutors decided not to pursue charges due to a lack of evidence.
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