Investigations into illegal activities and other irregularities during the campaigning and voting for local farmers’ and fisheries’ associations are under way, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday.
Prosecutors are investigating 185 reports of irregular election incidents, embroiling 321 people who allegedly breached the law, 148 of which were involved in vote-buying, Prosecutor-General Hsing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) said.
Elections for local representatives and section heads for farmers’ associations were held by Feb. 15, and elections for chairpersons, governing board members, supervisors, chief officers and other executive positions are to be held this month. Meanwhile, the elections for fishers’ associations are to start on March 22.
Photo courtesy of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office
Experts said the fisheries’ and farmers’ associations have roots in the Japanese era, and have equivalent bodies in Japan and South Korea.
They have combined functions as a cooperative for banking, credit and loans, provide technical, business and educational services, and are grassroots bodies in rural communities that are a power base for local politicians and gangs.
The elections are important and are under increased scrutiny, as the elected chairperson and the executives hold much financial resources and authority, and could directly influence local government elections, experts said.
In the past years, voting at those associations has been rife with reports of vote-buying, intimidation, violence, shootings, and other election irregularities and illegal actions, so law enforcement and the judiciary have enhanced their monitoring.
Due to a lack of supervision by local authorities, the cooperatives are often controlled by a few powerful figures, leading to unlawful transfers of assets, bad loans, personal profiteering, and financial benefits to families and friends, researchers and experts said.
As of Thursday, there have been 148 vote-buying cases, involving 267 people suspected of contravening provisions of the Farmers Association Act (農會法), and 10 incidents involving 13 suspects are being investigated for alleged violence and intimidation.
Hsing lauded the Taitung District Prosecutors’ Office for uncovering alleged vote-buying, arresting candidates caught disbursing NT$1,000 and gifts to people to get them to vote for them, and initiating 16 investigations.
Meanwhile, Taitung prosecutors were also praised for investigating a case involving active armed forces personnel who allegedly obtained highly classified military materials to sell to China for a monetary reward. Four suspects were arrested, and three have been detained and denied bail, as they were a national security risk and they were likely to flee or tamper with evidence.
Taitung prosecutors received tip-offs from a military police unit on suspected Chinese espionage activities, and conducted raids in Taitung, Hualien, Kaohsiung and Taoyuan. The case was later transferred to the Hualien Branch of the High Prosecutors’ Office, with four suspects facing indictment.
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