High Court upholds ex-DPP lawmaker's detention over alleged bribery

Taipei, June 17 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday rejected former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Chen Ou-po's (陳歐珀) appeal against a ruling by a lower court ordering his detention and that he be held incommunicado over corruption allegations.

The Taipei District Court on June 4 ordered the detention of the former DPP lawmaker after the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office questioned Chen and requested he be detained over suspicions he received improper benefits or bribes from United Logistics International Co. (ULIC) during his second term of office from 2016 to 2020.

Chen allegedly attempted to assist the company by holding meetings and conducting legislative hearings to support favorable legal amendments, potentially violating Taiwan's Anti-Corruption Act, according to prosecutors.

The district court then approved that Chen be detained incommunicado for two months starting June 4, citing strong suspicions of corruption and risk of flight and concerns over collusion or evidence tampering.

The district court said that based on Chen's testimony, the detention request by prosecutors and the evidence included in the case files, he is strongly suspected of committing offenses such as accepting bribes and making unlawful gains in connection with his official duties under the Anti-Corruption Act and money laundering.

The district court also noted that the offenses Chen is suspected of committing carry a minimum prison sentence of five years.

On Tuesday, the High Court decided to uphold the ruling handed down by the Taipei District Court, saying it found no error or impropriety in the original ruling.

The case dates back to a 2018 incident in which a cargo ship rammed into containers and equipment belonging to the logistics company at the Port of Keelung, causing major damage.

At the time, Taiwan's Commercial Port Law did not cover private logistics firms, prompting ULIC to seek help from the lawmaker, according to investigators.