Miaoli Prosecutors Indict Three for Vote Buying 苗檢選後查賄 前競總主委與2樁腳遭起訴

The nine-in-one elections are over, but investigations continue into cases of vote buying. The Miaoli District Prosecutors Office indicted three people for violations of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act on Dec. 14.

During the nine-in-one elections, independent candidate Chung Tung-chin emerged victorious in the Miaoli County magisterial race. Since then, prosecutors have been investigating allegations of vote buying. They identified a man surnamed Chen who served as the chairperson for the campaign headquarters of Chung and Dahu Township chief. He and politically influential figures are suspected of buying votes. Prosecutors indicted the three for violations of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act on Dec. 14.

Chang Sheng-chuan, Head Prosecutor, Miaoli District Prosecutors Office: “We are prosecuting a man surnamed Chen and two others (for violations of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act). Chen has already confessed (to criminal behavior).”

The Miaoli District Prosecutors Office said the three suspects began exchanging cash for votes in November in the Miaoli County magisterial election, as well as the Dahu Township mayoral and village chief elections. Prosecutors said Chen and a suspect surnamed Chiu have been detained. Bail was set at NT$50,000 for the other suspect surnamed Lin. An aide to Chung said vote buying is an individual activity.

Hsu Ting-tsung, Former Chung Tung-chin Campaign HQ CEO: “Vote buying is a purely individual activity. We were implicated because he happened to be a member of our election team, and we're innocent. We hope the results of the judicial investigation will make the truth known.”

The former CEO of Chung's campaign headquarters said Chung expressed his commitment to a clean election before the race started and asked those candidates who supported him and their campaign teams to not buy votes. Prosecutors emphasized the concept of judicial neutrality and said no one was targeted. There is no criminal responsibility of candidates in the case being prosecuted and it's also unrelated to civil invalidations of elections and therefore should not be confused.

苗栗縣長選舉，最後由無黨籍的鍾東錦勝出。而選後苗栗檢方持續追查賄選案，查出一名陳姓男子，在選舉期間擔任苗栗縣長鍾東錦、以及大湖鄉長的競總主委，他和2名樁腳涉嫌賄選，檢方14日以違反《選罷法》提起公訴。

苗栗地檢署主任檢察官張聖傳表示：「（以違反《選罷法》）起訴陳姓男子等3人，其中陳姓男子部分已坦承（犯行）。」

苗栗檢方指出，涉案3人從今（2022）年11月開始陸續以現金買票賄選，範圍涉及苗栗縣長、大湖鄉長及村長、鄉民代表等選舉。檢方表示，目前陳姓男子和丘姓樁腳羈押禁見中，而林姓樁腳5萬交保。縣長當選人鍾東錦則透過幕僚強調，涉及賄選是個人行為。

鍾東錦競選總部前執行長徐廷琮說：「涉嫌賄選純屬個人行為，只因為他是我們競選團隊成員而被牽連，實在很無辜，希望司法調查結果釐清真相。」

鍾東錦競總前執行長表示，選前已表明清廉參選，也要求支持的候選人或幹部不得賄選，目前已進入司法階段，等待司法調查結果。檢方也強調司法中立、沒有針對性，起訴的案件並未涉及候選人的刑事責任，也和民事的當選無效是兩回事，不能混為一談。