The speaker of the Penghu Council, Liou Chen Jhao-ling劉陳昭玲, and two others have been detained for allegedly pocketing bribery for staffing and acting in the benefit of illegal builders. After a whistleblower filed a complaint against Liou Chen, on Monday the Agency Against Corruption conducted searches and questioned 15 officials at the county government, including Liou Chen. On Tuesday evening the court approved a motion to detain the three suspects. Let’s hear from the chief prosecutor.
Su Heng-i
The Penghu District Prosecutors Office
The speaker, the defendant surnamed Chen and the defendant surnamed Sun were suspected of pocketing NT$360,000 as bribery for staffing, on top of NT$150,000 for budgeting at the county’s Public Transport Management Office. The speaker is also suspected of acting in the benefit of constructors of illegal structures, so that they continue to enjoy the illegal benefits of running water and electricity. The court has determined that the defendants in question are suspected of violating the provisions under Article 5 Paragraph 1 Subparagraph 3 of the Anti-Corruption Act for accepting bribery, as well as the provisions under Article 6 Paragraph 1 Subparagraph 4 of the same act on public officials seeking to gain illegal benefits from a function under his control or supervision. Of the defendants, the speaker and Chen have been strongly suspected for their crimes and have been transferred to detention.
The incidents mainly occurred during former Commissioner Lai Feng-wei’s term. The incumbent Chen Kuang-fu said he will respect the prosecution procedures. The main suspect, KMT’s Liou Chen, has served as county council speaker for six consecutive terms, the longest of any local legislative speaker in Taiwan’s history. Prior to the latest scandal, she has never lost an election in her 41-year career in politics.
