Candidate probed over gifts of soy sauce, toothpaste to local HOA

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) A ward chief candidate in New Taipei's Xinzhuang District was ordered held on NT$300,000 (US$9,515) bail on suspicion of vote buying after allegedly giving gifts of soy sauce and toothpaste to a local homeowners' association (HOA).

The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office said in a statement Tuesday that it had received a tip-off alleging that the candidate, surnamed Yeh (葉), had given a gift basket containing toothpaste, masks, cling film and soy sauce to members of an apartment complex's management committee, allegedly in an effort to win their support.

After assigning a task force to jointly investigate the case with the New Taipei police, authorities searched the homes of Yeh and two of his local campaign organizers on Monday, while summoning 15 people for questioning, the statement said.

Prosecutors said the three are suspected of violating provisions against vote buying in the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, and asked the court to detain Yeh incommunicado, citing the risk that he might collude with others or destroy evidence.

In a ruling on Monday, however, the New Taipei District Court ordered Yeh and one of the organizers held on NT$300,000 bail, while bail for the other organizer was set at NT$500,000, prosecutors said.

In Taiwan, candidates for elected office frequently distribute low-value promotional gifts, such as pocket tissues and water bottles, worth less than NT$30 to voters.

According to the legal information website Legispedia (法律百科), however, the NT$30 figure does not appear in Taiwan's election laws, though it is among the standards used by prosecutors in deciding whether to pursue a case.

Taiwan's local elections, in which voters will select mayors and county chiefs, city and county councilors, township mayors and councilors, and ward chiefs, are scheduled for Nov. 28.