Taiwan court acquits official accused of Chinese election interference

A local official from Taiwan's Unification Promotion Party has been acquitted of charges that he acted as an agent for China to influence the recent presidential election. The Pingtung District Court ruled that prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to convict the man, identified as a deputy chairman of the party's Wenzheng chapter.

Prosecutors had alleged that the official, who also chaired a village chiefs' association, accepted instructions from Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office officials. Between June 2023 and November 2023, he allegedly recruited voters for travel invitations to mainland China, aiming to garner support for specific presidential and legislative candidates. He reportedly used the LINE messaging app to communicate with invited voters, urging them to support certain candidates.

The accused denied the charges, claiming he was invited by Taiwanese businesspeople in China and that the trips were arranged and hosted by them. He asserted that no mainland officials accompanied them and no election discussions took place. While local Taiwan Affairs Office personnel attended some meals as a courtesy, he stated they only spoke generally about cross-strait relations and peaceful unification.

His defense argued that out of 52 co-defendants, only he was indicted, indicating insufficient evidence for bribery. Witnesses reportedly testified that they were never explicitly or implicitly asked to support specific candidates or parties during the trips or upon their return. The court found no concrete evidence that the official used the travel opportunities to promote candidates or solicit votes, thus acquitting him of violating election laws and the Anti-Infiltration Act.