Taoyuan Borough Chief Tied to Vote Buying Released on Bail

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office has recently launched an active investigation into vote-buying intelligence concerning local grassroots elections, executing searches and summonses led by judicial police units. According to specific evidence gathered by prosecutors, a candidate surnamed Feng running for re-election as a village warden in Taoyuan City's Guanyin District allegedly bought votes from electors by distributing cash during the campaign. Upon completing preliminary questioning procedures, prosecutors determined that the candidate was suspected of violating the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, and released Feng on bail of NT$150,000 pending further investigation. This case once again highlights the hidden undercurrents of money interfering in grassroots elections and has sparked public concern and discussion regarding clean electoral mechanisms.

According to specific intelligence obtained by prosecutors and investigators, the vote-buying case occurred during the village warden election in Taoyuan City's Guanyin District. In order to secure a smooth re-election amid a fierce campaign, the incumbent village warden, surnamed Feng, allegedly engaged in illegal vote-buying through abnormal capital flows and direct contact with voters. Investigations by prosecutors and investigators revealed that the candidate allegedly handed out cash at a rate of NT$5,000 per household directly to residents with voting rights in the constituency, attempting to influence voters' intentions and the final election result. Although this traditional model of vote-buying—exchanging specific amounts of money for votes—has been frequently encountered in past electoral investigations, it remains highly destructive to the normal operation of grassroots democracy.

Faced with this grassroots election vote-buying case, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office demonstrated a firm attitude toward law enforcement. After gathering a substantial degree of evidence, the prosecutor recently directed judicial police to conduct searches at relevant locations and simultaneously summoned the village warden candidate surnamed Feng and other involved personnel for questioning. Following overnight interrogation and clarification of the case details by the prosecutor, Feng was deemed to be heavily suspected of committing the offense of offering bribes to persons with voting rights under Paragraph 1, Article 99 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, with strong suspicion of criminality. Considering the progress of the investigation and the preservation of relevant evidence, the prosecutor ultimately decided to issue a compulsory disposition, ordering the candidate surnamed Feng to be released on NT$150,000 bail.

From the perspective of Taiwan's electoral legal system and judicial practice, the Public Officials Election and Recall Act has always adopted a high-pressure, zero-tolerance policy against vote-buying. According to relevant legal provisions, promising or delivering property or other illicit benefits to persons with voting rights, thereby binding them not to exercise their voting right or to exercise it in a specific manner, constitutes a serious criminal offense. Violators not only face severe criminal penalties but may also face legal consequences such as the annulment of their election. Although village wardens are the lowest tier of public officials in local autonomy, they have direct contact with grassroots public opinion, and the fairness of village warden elections is often the cornerstone for the sound development of democratic politics. The intervention of money in elections not only distorts the essence of democratic voting but also deprives voters of their right to freely choose competent people's representatives.

The case of the village warden candidate in Taoyuan's Guanyin area who was granted bail after allegedly using NT$5,000 in cash per household also reflects the meticulous deployment by prosecutors, police, and investigative agencies in cracking down on vote-buying during the electoral period. As competition in various local elections becomes increasingly intense, investigative units typically deploy agents in advance to conduct targeted monitoring of constituencies where illegal activities such as cash vote-buying, sponsored travel, or gifts of high-value items are likely to occur. By swiftly taking action and enforcing compulsory measures in this case, prosecutors are not only pursuing legal prosecution for a specific case but also achieving a significant deterrent effect, aiming to convey to the general public the judiciary's determination to uphold electoral fairness and ensure that grassroots elections are conducted in a fair, open, and clean environment.

(Source of Facts: Central News Agency)