Taipei Councilor Hou Han-ting indicted over forged election documents

Taipei City Councilor Hou Han-ting has been indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for allegedly releasing forged documents during the 2024 presidential election period. The prosecution charges Hou with violating the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Act, the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, and the Criminal Code regarding the use of forged private documents.

Prosecutors allege that on January 10, 2024, Hou held a press conference and used a Facebook live stream to present a document falsely claiming to be from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Policy Committee. The document contained fabricated claims regarding election strategies, including efforts to label political opponents as ‘pro-China’ and using media personalities to spread narratives. Investigators determined the document was a forgery due to the presence of simplified Chinese characters, typos, and non-standard terminology that did not match official party formats.

Evidence from LINE messages suggested that Hou had not verified the document's authenticity before the press conference, despite claims to the contrary. Prosecutors noted that as a three-term councilor and legislative candidate, Hou should have understood the impact of pre-election leaks but acted with ‘bloodlust’ to prioritize timeliness over verification. Hou has stated he respects the judicial process but maintains his innocence, calling the indictment an ‘honor’ for his role in oversight.