Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) and five subordinates were released on bail yesterday morning, as prosecutors pursue the arrest of Lin’s service center director for suspected corruption.
Investigators from the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office searched Lin’s legislative office in Taipei and her constituency service center in Tainan on Wednesday.
They questioned 19 people, including Lin, for the suspected embezzlement of publicly funded salaries of legislative assistants.
Photo: Wang Chieh, Taipei Times
Lin was released on bail of NT$1 million (US$312,832) for suspected contraventions of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and document forgery. The lawmaker is not allowed to leave Taiwan.
Five other people were also released on bail. Identified only by their surnames, Liu (劉) was freed on bail of NT$100,000, Chang (張) NT$70,000, Su (蘇) NT$50,000, and Huang (黃) and Wu (吳) NT$30,000 each.
Prosecutors have also applied to detain and hold incommunicado the director of Lin’s service center in Tainan, surnamed Huang (黃), as they believe Huang might attempt to collude with other suspects, destroy evidence or evade justice.
Of the 19 people questioned, 15 were considered suspects and four were witnesses, prosecutors said.
Most of those questioned were Lin’s assistants or workers in the lawmaker’s constituency service center, they said.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Lin wrote: “No matter what the reason for being investigated is — whether it is a misunderstanding or a leak from someone with good intentions — as a representative of the Legislative Yuan, I will set a good example and cooperate with the judicial investigation to shed light on the case.”
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS