Court approves detention of 2 staffers at DPP lawmaker's office

Kaohsiung, April 12 (CNA) A Kaohsiung court approved on Saturday a request by prosecutors to detain two suspects linked to a corruption probe involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Dai-hua (林岱樺), while three other individuals were granted bail.

The two individuals, identified by their last names Chou (周) and Lien (連), were ordered to be detained and held incommunicado. Both worked for Lin's office in Kaohsiung's Linyuan District.

The three other individuals, who are also Lin's staffers, were each granted bail of between NT$50,000 (US$1,543) and NT$100,000.

According to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office, it will decide in due course whether to file an appeal against the court's bail ruling.

The detention request for the five people came after prosecutors on Friday raided Lin's two offices and the staffers' residences and questioned them on suspicion of violating the Anti-Corruption Act.

Earlier on Wednesday, the DPP lawmaker was interrogated by prosecutors but later allowed to return home.

Lin, who has announced her intention to run in the DPP's primary election for the Kaohsiung mayoral race, is under investigation on suspicion of filing fraudulent claims for assistants' salaries.

On Feb. 21, she was released on NT$1 million (US$30,943) bail by the Taiwan Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office. She has been barred from leaving the country or traveling by boat and is required to reside either at her current residence or another court-designated location.

Four other individuals allegedly complicit in the case are currently detained and held incommunicado. They include Lin's younger brother and his wife, an accountant surnamed Huang (黃), and a leader of a local temple identified as Shih Huang-chih (釋煌智).

Prosecutors will decide whether to seek an extension of their detention as the current term is set to expire soon.

In addition, Lin is also being investigated for abuse of power over alleged involvement in activities that constitute a conflict of interest related to her role as a public servant.