Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chen E-jun (陳怡君) was indicted today for embezzling public funds used to pay for assistants.
The investigation concluded this morning, after prosecutors found that Chen and her assistant Chang Hui-lin (張惠霖) had claimed about NT$3.84 million (US$128,096) in fraudulent assistant fees.
The two used public funds for personal expenses such as paying rent and buying stocks, the Shilin District Prosecutors' Office said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The case has been transferred to Shilin District Court for trial, it added.
The court said it has received the case, which would be processed in due time, although a trial date has not yet been set.
Chen has served as a city councilor since Dec. 25, 2018, with Chang serving as her assistant and head of the city council research office since 2020, the indictment said.
The two allegedly forged employment contracts under the names of three of their relatives — Hung Yu-han (洪于涵), Ho Hsi (賀璽) and Chang Chia-jung (張家蓉) — to fraudulently claim assistant salaries, Lunar New Year bonuses and year-end bonuses, it said.
Chang Hui-lin allegedly transferred the funds from the three relatives’ accounts to that of an unsuspecting friend, surnamed Chu (朱), who was then instructed to issue checks to Chang Chia-jung, it said.
Chang Chia-jung then deposited the checks into bank accounts, used to pay Chen and Chang Hui-lin's rent and buy stocks, it added.
Chen, Chang Hui-lin and the three relatives have been indicted for embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds under the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), and falsification of official documents under Article 214 of the Criminal Code, prosecutors said.
Chen and Chang Hui-lin have also been indicted for forgery under Article 217 of the Criminal Code and for money laundering under the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), they added.
All criminal proceeds have been confiscated, they said, adding that Chen and Chang Hui-lin confessed to the allegations and voluntarily returned all illicit gains during the course of the investigation.
Under the Anti-Corruption Act, confession and return of proceeds can allow for a reduced sentence, which may be further reduced if the defendant also confesses in court, they said.
The three relatives also confessed that they did not serve as assistants and were not entitled to the assistant salaries, prosecutors said.
Moreover, as they possess clean criminal records, exhibited good behavior and did not financially benefit from the fraud, prosecutors said they may recommend lenient or suspended sentences should they confess in court.
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