Wang Meigui, the mayor of Xiulin Township in Hualien County, a Kuomintang member, turned to the county council and promoted her husband Hu Zhimin to run for election as mayor of Lin Township. He was suspected of misappropriating public welfare funds and using it to bribe the election. In September, the Hualien District Court ruled that he should be detained and banned from public viewing. The case was concluded yesterday (5th). A total of five people, including the mayor and his wife, the chairman of the public welfare association, an assistant and a volunteer, were prosecuted by the prosecutor and transferred to the Hualien District Court today. At 10 o'clock in the evening, the district court ruled that the detention of the four people would be extended for March.
Investigation by the police revealed that in order to be successfully elected, Wang Meigui and Hu Zhimin, the couple who were running for county councilors and Xiulin Township mayor, used the pretext of Hu Zhimin’s 60th birthday party on March 26 this year, together with Xu Meiling, chairman of the Little Sun Care Association of Xiulin Township, Hualien, and her assistant surnamed Xu, to misappropriate funds. He spent 392,000 yuan to book a restaurant and hosted 56 tables for free banquets for more than 500 voters (a total cost of 635,900 yuan). During the dinner, he also publicly praised political achievements and shouted campaign slogans such as frozen garlic. Afterwards, in order to destroy the evidence, he also asked the participants to make up red envelopes!
The investigation also found that when Wang Meigui and Hu Zhimin held a social dinner in Jiaoxi, Yilan on April 9 this year, Wang Meigui handed over 2,000 yuan in bribes to voters, and also distributed 1,000 yuan each to six village and neighborhood chiefs under the pretext of celebrating their birthdays. birthday red envelopes; in addition, from May to August this year, Wang Meigui also used the authority of the township chief to obtain the birthday list of office and committee members and other personal information, and called and sent birthday cakes or 1,000 yuan in condolences to many voters to seek support.
Xu Meiling, the chairman of the Little Sun Association, and her son's assistant named Xu, in addition to jointly misappropriating the association's donations to pay for the birthday banquet of Wang Meigui and his wife, from January 2023 to September this year, they also successively embezzled a total of 1 million yuan in charity donations from the association for the personal use of the assistant named Xu. An inspection found 210,000 stolen money in the closet of Xu's residence. Yuan and 630,900 yuan of money hidden in the ceiling of her natal room were also uncovered during the investigation. In addition, in order to circumvent internal supervision, a volunteer named Gao of the Xu Mother and Child Association forged and stamped the seals of three unsuspecting persons without consent, forged the association's 2024 and 2025 budget and final accounts and receipt announcements, and submitted them to the competent authority for review.
The Hualien District Prosecutor's Office pointed out that the prosecutor Jiang Angxuan directed the Hualien County Investigation Station of the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and the Criminal Police Brigade of the Hualien County Police Department to summon multiple witnesses, check the money flow and conduct searches. After careful investigation and comprehensive analysis by the special team, After analyzing the relevant evidence and seizing the bribery cash, account books and stolen money, the prosecutors petitioned the Hualien District Court on September 9 to request that four people, Wang Meigui, Hu Zhimin, Little Sun Association Chairman Xu Meiling, and their son, assistant surnamed Xu, be detained and not allowed to see them, and the volunteer surnamed Gao was asked to return.
The prosecutor said that the investigation of the whole case was concluded on the 5th of this month, and a total of five defendants were prosecuted. Among them, Wang Meigui and Hu Zhimin were charged with violating the election law for public officials, soliciting bribes and improper benefits, illegal use of personal information under Article 41 of the Personal Information Law, criminal law public welfare misappropriation, etc.; Xu Meiling and assistant surnamed Xu of the Little Sun Association were suspected of public welfare misappropriation, forgery of private documents, etc.; Association volunteer surnamed Gao was involved in the crime of forging private documents and was transferred to the court today (6th).
The Hualien District Court held a hearing in the evening. Wang Meigui, Hu Zhimin, his wife, Xu Meiling, and an assistant surnamed Xu were found by the judge to have serious criminal suspicions. There were enough facts to confirm that the four defendants were in danger of exterminating evidence and posing accomplices or witnesses. The judge ruled that the detention ban would be extended for three months starting from the 6th.
