Legislator Lin Dai-hua indicted for allegedly false expense claims

Kaohsiung, June 23 (CNA) Legislator Lin Dai-hua (林岱樺) and eight others were indicted Monday for allegedly making false expense claims, while a Buddhist monk was charged for suspected breach of faith in funding her mayoral campaign, prosecutors said in a statement.

Lin, who has served as a ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker since 2002 (except for from 2008 to 2011) was indicted for unsubstantiated expense claims for staff salaries and overtime pay, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office said in a statement.

Following the indictment, Lin responded by saying that "she will fully cooperate in the judicial procedure and fervently defend her name in court."

The lawmaker said in a Facebook post that she will continue working for people in Kaohsiung despite the difficult times while proving her innocence.

Prosecutors said Lin has claimed NT$14.74 million (US$494,837) in expenses since she returned to the Legislative Yuan in 2011 after winning a by-election to pay the salary of a woman surnamed Wang (王), the wife of Lin's younger brother, and Lin's cousin surnamed Lo (駱), who were listed as assistants.

Wang's monthly salary had reached above NT$214,000 -- higher than Lin's own monthly salary of NT$190,000 -- the prosecutors said, even though there was no evidence Wang was actually employed in Lin's office.

As for the overtime pay issue, prosecutors alleged that claims of NT$228,090 for overtime involving five staffers during Lin's two four-year terms prior to February 2024 were fraudulent.

Lin, Lin's younger brother and an accountant surnamed Huang (黃) were indicted for allegedly making the fraudulent arrangements, prosecutors said.

Wang was also indicted, but Lo was not among the indicted because he has since died, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, the head monk of Ran Deng Dhan Fa Tong Temple in Kaohsiung's Renwu District was indicted for allegedly embezzling NT$5.91 million to fund a team of more than 20 people from March 2024 to February 2025 to work on Lin's planned Kaohsiung mayoral campaign.

The monk was found to have forged documents to set up a legal entity for Lin's mayoral campaign with money from a foundation set up in the name of Lin's father to promote Buddhism, the prosecutors said.

The monk faces charges of breach of faith and embezzlement of funds that were in his lawful possession for public welfare purposes, prosecutors said.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and DPP lawmaker Chiu Yi-Ying (邱議瑩) responded to the indictment by saying they respected the judicial system.

Two other DPP lawmakers -- Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) -- who like Lin and Chiu have expressed their intention to run for Chen's seat in 2026, declined to comment.

KMT lawmaker Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), who lost to Chen in 2022 and might run again, also declined to comment on Lin's case, only expressing her hope that the judiciary would meet the public's expectation of fair treatment.