Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-06
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Tainan City Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao will not be indicted
for vote-buying in the speaker election, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office said Friday, despite months of allegations and of political struggle with Mayor William Lai.
Lee had been targeted for investigations into alleged vote-buying, both in the November 29 city council elections and in the December 25 election, when newly elected councilors voted for a speaker and vice speaker.
Prosecutors said Friday there was no evidence to suggest that Lee paid council members off to vote for him in the speaker election. His victory had surprised public opinion, because he was a Kuomintang candidate facing a majority of Democratic Progressive Party councilors.
The original allegation said that he had used a former lawmaker, Lee Ho-shun, to pay at least four city councilors during their trip to Xiamen in China last December. [FULL STORY]