DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Taiwanese prosecutors launch crackdown on election fraud with focus on bribery and foreign interference

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors Office held its first election investigation meeting at the Jinshan Police Precinct to combat election fraud.
  • The meeting outlined four key areas of focus: bribery, illegal gambling, fake news, and foreign interference.
  • Prosecutors urged public cooperation in reporting suspicious activities, promising strict investigation and protection for whistleblowers.

Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors Office has launched a proactive campaign against election fraud, holding its inaugural "Election Investigation Police-District Symposium" at the Jinshan Police Precinct. The meeting signaled a firm commitment to ensuring a clean electoral process for the upcoming "115th Local Public Officials Election" later this year.

Election investigation work must be precise and the key lies in 'effective intelligence gathering'.

— Chen Chia-hsiuStressing the importance of intelligence in combating election fraud.

Keelung District Prosecutor Chen Chia-hsiu, leading the initiative, emphasized four critical areas for investigation: combating bribery and violence, disrupting underground election gambling rings, preventing the spread of disinformation in real-time, and strictly guarding against foreign interference. Chen stressed the importance of "effective intelligence gathering" through informants as key to precise crackdowns.

Local police officials, including Jinshan Precinct Chief Yang Li-chiang and New Taipei City Police Bureau Chief Secretary Li Chien-min, participated in the symposium. They shared insights on practical investigation techniques and the deterrent effect of visible law enforcement efforts. Yang provided an overview of the current electoral situation in his jurisdiction, receiving guidance on relevant laws and potential illegal election tactics.

Grassroots prosecutors and police implementing thorough visits and investigations, even without immediate findings of specific illegalities, can create a strong deterrent effect, making those attempting to buy votes or illegally interfere hesitant to act.

— Li Chien-minHighlighting the impact of proactive law enforcement on deterring electoral misconduct.

The Keelung District Prosecutors Office underscored that fair elections are the bedrock of democracy. They appealed to the public for vigilance and encouraged citizens to report any instances of vote-buying, electoral violence, or the infiltration of foreign funds. Assuring absolute confidentiality for informants, the office pledged to thoroughly investigate all leads under its "investigate all reports, act on all evidence" principle, aiming to curb bribery and maintain electoral integrity.

We will strictly implement 'whistleblower identity confidentiality' and adhere to the iron-fisted spirit of 'investigate all reports, act on all evidence' to thoroughly investigate and curb the trend of vote-buying.

— Keelung District Prosecutors OfficeAppealing to the public for cooperation and promising strict action against electoral offenses.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog