KMT Yilan Zhuangwei Township mayor candidate Zhang Jiahao was prosecuted for bribery as a gold foil sake gift box

Zhang Jiahao, a Kuomintang candidate for the mayor of Zhuangwei Township in Yilan County and the current office secretary, was detained on September 10 for allegedly distributing sake gift boxes at a New Year's and New Year's dinner party for bribery. The Yilan District Prosecutor's Office concluded the investigation today and prosecuted him for soliciting bribes for voting in accordance with the election strike law. The whole case was transferred to the Yilan District Court, and a trial is expected to be held in the afternoon on whether to renew his detention.

The lawsuit pointed out that Zhang Jiahao publicly expressed his intention to run for Zhuangwei Township Mayor before February this year to win the support of voters. In order to be successfully elected, he allegedly took advantage of the opportunity of holding a year-end dinner party on February 8 to present alcohol gift boxes to people with voting rights, and promised that their voting rights would be exercised. Prosecutor Huang Mingzheng directed the police investigation team to conduct an in-depth investigation of the entire case.

On September 9, the task force went to 23 locations including the township office and Zhang’s residence with a search ticket, seized liquor gift boxes and other evidence, and summoned 22 people. After a retrial by the prosecutor, it was determined that Zhang Jiahao was involved in a serious bribery crime and that there was a risk of collusion with evidence. He was arrested and arraigned in court. The prosecution was concluded in accordance with the law today and transferred to the Yilan District Court for trial.

It is reported that the gift box is gold foil sake with a market price of about 680 yuan, and has a personal business card attached. The investigation will obtain relevant evidence for investigation. The election for the next Zhuangwei township mayor is a tight race with 4 to 1. Although Zhang's camp has issued a statement emphasizing respecting justice and defending innocence, the prosecution for bribery still severely damaged his election and shocked the local political arena.