Prosecutors seek detention of Hualien officials over alleged graft

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Prosecutors have filed a motion to detain Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Wu Jin-yi (吳勁毅) and a section chief for alleged corruption in favoring bidders in public tenders.

Prosecutors said they were tipped off that Wu used an official vehicle for personal purposes, made duplicate claims for small purchases, and was involved in irregularities related to a public construction project, including allegedly favoring certain contractors in public tenders.

Wu was then summoned for questioning by the Hualien District Prosecutors Office and the Agency Against Corruption on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Searches were also carried out at 16 locations, including county government offices, Wu's residence, and government dormitories, and a total of 10 individuals, including Wu and related witnesses, were notified and summoned to give statements.

Following the questioning, prosecutors asked the court early Wednesday morning to detain and hold incommunicado both Wu and Tseng Chun-hsiang (曾俊翔), chief of the bureau's Administrative and Cultural Facilities Division.

Prosecutors argued to the Hualien District Court that because the alleged offenses carry a minimum sentence of over five years and there were concerns that the two could collude with others to tamper with evidence, they needed to be detained and held incommunicado.

Five other suspects, including a section chief surnamed Tian (田), who are suspected of offenses such as falsifying official documents, forgery and corruption, were released on bail ranging from NT$30,000 (US$1,003) to NT$50,000, according to prosecutors.