Tainan nine-in-one election bribery investigation: Candidates for mayor of Da Nei District and Yongkang District were involved in bribery and released on bail

The Tainan District Prosecutor's Office recently received a report stating that a candidate for the ley chief in Shicheng City, Danei District, Nan City, was involved in sending a package of toast with campaign slogans (market price is about 4 or 50 yuan) to voters along the road with relatives and friends, and 100 packages have been given away; another candidate named Huang in Xiqiao District, Yongkang District was involved in bribery in an attempt to persuade another opponent surnamed Huang to quit. The prosecutor directed the police and the investigation office, and after the interrogation, the two candidates for mayor of Shicheng and Xiqiaoli were told to post bail of 80,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan respectively.

This is also the first time in this year's nine-in-one general election that Tainan prosecutors have investigated bribery and forced punishment of candidates and defendants. Since the polling day is less than two months away, it is expected that Tainan prosecutors, police, investigation and other units will carry out follow-up bribery-related actions.

On the afternoon of September 24, the Nan City Police Shanhua Branch informed prosecutors that in order to seek the support of voters, a candidate for the mayor of a certain district in Shicheng, Danei District, Guangzhou City, together with relatives and friends, sent 1 package of toast with the district leader's campaign slogan stickers to local voters along the street. A total of 100 packages have been given out, in order to bribe voters.

Chief Prosecutor Guo Shuming and Prosecutor Li Zhengxian of the Southern Prosecutor's Office directed the police to arrest the candidate for mayor and a total of four relatives and friends who helped distribute the toast on current charges, and seized relevant evidence. The prosecutors interrogated four people, including the district mayor candidate, and found that they were all involved in voting bribery under the Public Servants Election and Removal Act. The charges were serious, but there was no need to detain them, and they were all ordered to be released on bail pending summons.

In addition, the candidate surnamed Huang for the district chief in Xiqiaoli, Yongkang District, Nan City, was involved in paying bribes, commonly known as "making ball soup", in order to persuade another candidate surnamed Huang to quit. South Procuratorate Chief Prosecutor Liu Xiuyan and prosecutor Yang Weiwen directed the Nan City Investigation Division and Yongkang Police Station to search the strongholds of the candidate surnamed district chief Huang and related persons today (30th) with a court search ticket and seize relevant evidence.

When the prosecutor resumed the interrogation, although the defendant surnamed Huang denied making Yuanzi Soup, the prosecutor believed that Huang was suspected of bribing his opponent and asking his opponent to withdraw from the election, which was a crime under Article 97, Item 1 of the Public Servants Election and Removal Act. The crime was serious, but there was no need to detain him. The prosecutor also ordered the candidate and defendant to post a bail of NT$200,000 pending summons.