Taoyuan village chief arrested for attempting to bribe election opponent

An incumbent village chief in the Pingzhen District of Taoyuan has been arrested for attempting to bribe a potential political opponent to withdraw from the upcoming local elections scheduled for November 28.

According to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, the suspect, a man surnamed Zhuang, met with a resident surnamed Lan on August 29. During the meeting, Zhuang allegedly offered 400,000 TWD in cash to Lan, requesting that he abandon his candidacy. The incident was intercepted by an investigation team, leading to the immediate arrest of both individuals.

Following questioning, prosecutors determined that Zhuang violated Article 97, Paragraph 1 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, which prohibits bribing a qualified candidate to forfeit an election. While the crime was deemed significant, prosecutors released Zhuang on 300,000 TWD bail, while Lan was released without bail.