Former Taoyuan mayor interrogated over corruption allegations

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) has been interrogated by prosecutors over alleged corruption which was said to have happened during his term as Taoyuan mayor.

In a statement released Saturday, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office said Cheng was summoned on Friday for an investigation into a corruption case.

The office said after questioning him, prosecutors thought Cheng had played a big role in the case and sought approval from the court to detain him and prohibit him from making contacts with other people amid fears over collusion in testimonies.

The office told CNA that a court hearing on the detention application filed by prosecutors is scheduled to open later in the day.

While prosecutors did not elaborate on Cheng's involvement in the alleged corruption, local media reported that the case was about a project involving a land use purpose change during his term as Taoyuan mayor.

According to the prosecutor's office, details of the case will not be released until the court hands down its decision on the detention request.

In response, Cheng, from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), insisted through his lawyer that he was innocent, and said he was willing to work with police and prosecutors in the investigation to pin down the facts and repair his reputation as soon as possible.

Tsai Meng-chun (蔡孟君), a spokesperson of the SEF, said the case was under investigation and the foundation respects the investigation process. Tsai added that he hoped the judiciary agency will clarify the facts as soon as possible.

For its part, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said the office respected the judiciary branch but hopes prosecutors will find out the facts as soon as possible and will not unjustly accuse anyone who is innocent and not indulge anyone who has committed wrongdoings.

Before becoming the chairman of the SEF, which is in charge of exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, in June, Cheng served as Taiwan's vice premier from Jan. 31, 2023 to May 20, 2024.

Prior to that, Cheng served as Taoyuan mayor from Dec. 25, 2014 to Dec. 25, 2022.

In late 2022, National Taiwan University revoked Cheng's master's degree for plagiarism in the writing of his thesis, while the former Taoyuan mayor expressed "regrets" and apologized for mistakes made involving citations in the thesis.

Update

July 6: Former vice premier released on bail over alleged corruption