District court again grants bail to ex-vice premier accused of corruption

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) The Taoyuan District Court granted bail to former Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) for a second time after rejecting a detention request from prosecutors investigating corruption allegations Tuesday.

Cheng was summoned by the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office on July 5 for an investigation into a corruption case during his stint as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022.

He was released on NT$5 million (US$153,668) bail the next day, a ruling that prosecutors appealed and saw successfully overturned on Monday.

Despite the High Court's decision, Cheng was released by the district court for a second time on Tuesday after paying an increased bail of NT$12 million.

The court also imposed an exit ban and limits on Cheng's movements.

Prosecutors appealed the ruling at the bail hearing.

After serving as Taoyuan mayor, Cheng served as vice premier until May 2024, when he was appointed chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) by Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Taiwan's current president.

The SEF is a semiofficial organization tasked by Taiwan's government with handling technical matters involving China.

Cheng stepped down from the post on Sunday.