POLITICAL PARTIES: Members of political parties controlled by criminal gangs or known to threaten public safety can be prosecuted under the amended act
Taipei Times
Date: Dec 16, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter
Lawmakers yesterday passed an amendment to the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組
Suspected members of a local crime gang lie prostrate on the ground while being arrested in New Taipei City on Monday on suspicion of violating the Organized Crime Prevention Act. Photo provided by police
織犯罪防制條例) which broadens the definition of criminal organizations, making it applicable when charging members of political parties that are controlled by criminal gangs or known to threaten public safety.
The act formerly defined criminal organizations as standing and for-profit organizations that engage in violence, coercion, fraud, extortion or any other actions punishable by a maximum prison term of five years or longer.
The amendment substitutes “and” with “or,” which effectively widened the definition of criminal groups, which no longer have to be “for-profit” to warrant indictment.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇), who proposed the amendment, said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been covertly commanding Taiwanese criminal gangs to infiltrate demonstrations and protests, as well as cause social disorder.
The situation has worsened to the extent that it threatens national security, and he hopes that the legislation would solve those problems, he said.
The amendment includes a new stipulation against name-dropping: People who imply or claim that they are affiliated with criminal gangs or their members — through actions, words or any other means — to pressure others into selling their assets or shares, relinquishing proprietary rights, cooperating with urban renewal projects, purchasing goods or services, repaying a debt or agreeing to terms laid down during debt settlement negotiations face a maximum jail term of three years and a maximum fine of NT$3 million (US$100,027). [FULL STORY]
