Taipei City councilor questioned over father's bribery allegations

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) Taipei City Councilor Chen Chung-wen (陳重文) was questioned by investigators Wednesday and released on bail early Thursday over allegations of bribery linked to his father's election as head of the Beitou Farmers' Association.

Chen, a member of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), his wife Pai Hui-ping (白惠萍), his father Chen Ssu-tsung (陳思宗), chairperson of the Beitou Farmers' Association, and eight other board directors were questioned in an investigation into suspected election manipulation within the association.

Chen Ssu-tsung ran uncontested and was elected chairperson on March 7 during the nationwide farmers' association elections, held every four years since mid-February.

On the same day as the questioning, investigators searched nine locations, including the homes of the city councilor and his father.

Chen Ssu-tsung was released on NT$100,000 (US$3,343) bail. Chen Chung-wen, 47, posted NT$200,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Pai and five other directors were released without conditions by the Shilin District Prosecutors' Office, while three directors were questioned at the Investigation Bureau's Taipei office.

Prosecutors launched the investigation following a tip-off alleging that the city councilor and his father offered bribes, including association positions, to discourage potential candidates from running for the four-year post since early 2024.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 287 of Taiwan's more than 300 farmers' associations held elections for farming task force leaders and members' representatives this year. Voter turnout was 47.93 percent among 791,881 eligible voters.

Farmers' associations operate under the Farmers Association Act, which bars individuals convicted of corruption or organized crime from running for members' representative or official positions.

These rules were introduced in the 1980s as part of reforms of grassroots organizations that provide various services, including banking, to members who are not necessarily farmers.

Elections for directors and supervisors, unpaid roles, were held by March 1. Chairperson and chief supervisor elections took place by March 10 to form a board, which then appoints a general manager, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Chen Chung-wen is also appealing a nine-year prison sentence for a separate corruption case.

On May 9, the Taiwan High Court rejected prosecutors' request to detain him during his appeal against a Taipei District Court ruling that found him guilty of exerting undue influence for unlawful gains in a government procurement project linked to companies he is associated with.

Pai was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, after being found guilty of forgery and violations of the Company Act.