Former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) was questioned yesterday over alleged bribery involving a logistics company, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office said.
Later in the evening, the office filed a motion to detain Chen, citing strong suspicions of corruption and risk of flight and concerns over collusion or evidence tampering.
Chen, who served in the legislature from 2012 to 2020, is suspected of accepting improper benefits or bribes from United Logistics International Co (ULIC), a Taiwanese firm based in Keelung, during his second term of office from 2016 to 2020, prosecutors said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Chen allegedly attempted to assist the company by holding meetings and conducting legislative interpellations to support favorable legal amendments, potentially contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例).
The case stems from a 2018 incident in which a cargo ship struck ULIC’s containers and equipment at the Port of Keelung, causing major damage.
At the time, Taiwan’s Commercial Port Law (商港法) did not cover private logistics firms, prompting ULIC to seek help from the lawmaker, investigators said.
Prosecutors yesterday directed the Agency Against Corruption to carry out 14 raids at locations linked to Chen and others with connections to the alleged wrongdoing, including residences and company offices.
Another nine people were also summoned for questioning, with five released on bail ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$3 million (US$3,335 to US$100,045).
They included Chen's wife and a representative of ULIC.
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