Pan Ho-yuan (潘和源) was dismissed as a township mayor in Pingtung County’s Sinpi Township (新埤) after being found guilty of election fraud, with a by-election scheduled for three months from now, local officials said today.
Pan won the election two years ago as an independent candidate, although he distributed campaign materials claiming the full support of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which prosecutors determined was false.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
He was initially found not guilty, although that was overturned in a subsequent trial in which he was sentenced to eight months for compromising the integrity of the election, which was sustained after an appeal.
As the remaining term of office is more than two years, an interim mayor would be assigned until a by-election is conducted within the next three months, Pingtung County officials said.
The election fraud involves his brother Pan Ho-tsung (潘和宗), both of whom are DPP members, along with their sister, Pan Chun-kuei (潘春桂), prosecutors said.
Although Pan Ho-yuan ran as an independent, his sister commissioned a printing shop through Line to make a sign saying “Fully Support the DPP’s Only Nominee” on behalf of the campaign.
His opponent filed a complaint according to election laws, leading to all three siblings facing formal charges.
In the first trial, the Pingtung District Court acquitted them all.
However, upon appeal, the Kaohsiung branch of the High Court ruled that Pan Ho-yuan must have been aware that he was not the actual DPP nominee and that his actions influenced the election.
Pan Ho-yuan’s siblings remained acquitted, and his appeal was then rejected by the Supreme Court.
This morning, Pan Ho-yuan was at a project meeting for a local park’s development, and when asked by reporters over the phone regarding the news, said that his family had not yet heard.
Pan Ho-yuan is also implicated in an unrelated corruption case around personnel appointments, which is still under trial.
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