Changhua speaker detained on vote-buying charges

Changhua County Council Speaker Hsieh Dien-lin (謝典霖) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and his father, Hsieh Hsin-lung (謝新隆), were ordered detained and held incommunicado by a court late on Thursday in connection with a June banquet that prosecutors allege involved vote-buying.

Hsieh Dien-lin’s mother, Cheng Ju-fen (鄭汝芬), a former KMT lawmaker, was released on NT$1 million (US$31,439) bail, the Changhua District Court said in a statement yesterday.

An aide to Hsieh Dien-lin, surnamed Liu (劉), and the council’s director of legal affairs, surnamed Huang (黃), were each released on NT$300,000 bail, the court said.

The main entrance to the Changhua County Council is pictured yesterday.

Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times

Hsieh Dien-lin, 47, as speaker of the Changhua County Council, wields considerable influence over the alleged accomplices and witnesses involved in the case, and could influence their testimony, it said.

Hsieh Hsin-lung, who denied the allegations of vote-buying, could influence testimony, the court said.

Citing a risk of collusion and potential witness tampering, the court found the detention of Hsieh Dien-lin and his father necessary and ordered them held incommunicado, it said.

Cheng denied the allegations and there was no evidence that she had attempted to collude with others or destroy evidence, the statement said.

As Hsieh Dien-lin and his father were already detained, detaining Cheng was unnecessary, it said, adding that she has been ordered not to change her residence.

Changhua prosecutors on Thursday morning asked the court that Hsieh Dien-lin and four others be detained, alleging that a banquet in June attended by Sihu Township (溪湖) residents contravened the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) by serving as a covert campaign event in support of Hsieh’s aunt, Chen Chen-fei (陳貞妃), the KMT’s Sihu mayoral candidate.

The Changhua County Council has denied the allegations, saying that the gathering was an exchange among local community leaders rather than a council-organized event, and that no public, council or speaker’s discretionary funds were used.

The banquet first drew public attention in July, when Executive Yuan Central Taiwan Joint Services Center Deputy Executive Officer Wu Yin-ning (吳音寧), whose family has long-standing ties to local politics and rural affairs in Changhua County, accused Hsieh Dien-lin of using the banquet to campaign for his aunt.

KMT Culture and Communications Committee Director Charles Chen (陳以信) said that prosecutors should explain the basis for their investigation, which began shortly after Wu’s post.

Wu said the issue was not who brought the matter to light, but whether a crime had been committed and called on the KMT to respect the investigation.