《TAIPEI TIMES》 2024 Elections: Hsinchu councilor stripped of office for buying votes

By Wen Yu-te and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

Hsinchu City Councilor Fan Cheng-lung （范振龍） of the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） was stripped of his office yesterday after being convicted of vote-buying, while in New Taipei City, residents accused KMT candidate Chang Chih-lun （張智倫） of attempted vote-buying by distributing liquor and red envelopes.

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Fan in a second trial was handed a three-year, two-month prison term and deprived of his civil rights for four years, and the Supreme Court yesterday in the final decision rejected his appeal of the sentence.

Fan was not among the five candidates to win seats in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district in 2022, but when Chen Te-mu （陳德木） was convicted of vote-buying last year, Fan — who was next in line due to his vote count — replaced him.

It is the first time in the history of local elections in Taiwan that members of the same party are ousted from the same public office back-to-back.

During campaigning in 2022, Fan disbursed money to local vote brokers and executives of the Fan family association, instructing them to give it to residents to secure their votes, investigators said.

Fan provided lists of eligible voters, who were to be given NT$1,000 if they were a Fan association member and NT$500 if not, people involved in the scheme told investigators.

Fan and several others admitted to vote-buying activities and were found guilty in February last year of contravening the Public Officials Election and Recall Act （公職人員選舉罷免法）.

They were initially handed suspended sentences because they plead guilty.

However, prosecutors appealed, leading to the second ruling, in which Supreme Court judges agreed they had committed a serious offense that undermined the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party legislative candidate Justin Wu （吳崢） said in a briefing that his opponent in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District （中和）, Chang Chih-lun （張智倫）, had handed out money and gifts to buy votes.

Wu demanded an investigation.

Videos and items provided by residents prove that Chang attempted to buy votes in activities that have been going on for weeks at neighborhood banquets and campaign events, Wu said.

“We demand that the authorities take action and rule Chang ineligible to run for legislative office due to clear evidence from members of the public showing Chang and his aides presenting bottles of liquor and red envelopes containing NT$3,000 to attendees,” Wu said, adding that Chang also gave checks of tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars to communty associations.

Chang Chih-lun is the son of Chang Ching-chung （張慶忠）, a former KMT legislator who owns several franchise motels nationwide and has been accused of illegal deals to take over public land.

Chang Ching-chung has also drawn criticism for his role in the 2014 attempt to pass the cross-strait service trade agreement with China by conducting a rapid roll call during a legislative session, actions that were part of the buildup to the Sunflower movement.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES