Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Tainan City Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao was 
sentenced to four years in prison Friday for buying votes in the December 25, 2014 election for speaker.
His victory at the time was unexpected because Tainan City Mayor William Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party had won a majority of seats on the council in the November 29 local elections of that year.
The allegations against Lee, a member of the Kuomintang, led to a refusal by Lai’s administration to face questioning by the council, which itself provoked sanctions by the Control Yuan against the mayor. Lai later gave up his boycott of almost eight months due to the spread of dengue fever in the city.
The Tainan District Court found Lee, 56, guilty of vote-buying and also deprived him of his civil rights for five years. The verdict meant Lee would have to give up his position as speaker and would be suspended as a member of the Tainan City Council. He would be barred from participating in council meetings but would still receive his salary, reports said. [FULL STORY]
