Taipei city council deputy speaker questioned in gaming arcade case

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Taipei City Council Deputy Speaker Yeh Lin-chuang (葉林傳) was questioned by investigators on Thursday over his alleged role in relaxing regulations to favor a game arcade operator from 2017-2018, prosecutors said.

Yeh, 56, was among 12 suspects questioned in the investigation into an amendment to the city's regulations which retroactively legalized a gaming arcade previously outlawed because of its proximity to schools, libraries and hospitals, according to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

Prosecutors said they have been investigating Yeh's involvement in the R-rated adult-only gaming arcade run by a businessperson surnamed Chi (紀), who is believed to be the operator in name only, after an assistant and a former assistant were investigated as part of a different corruption case in May last year.

The four-term Kuomintang city councilor is believed to be the actual owner of the gaming arcade, according to prosecutors.

The investigators listed Yeh as a suspect for alleged violations of the Anti-Corruption Act, including his failure to recuse himself when passing the amended regulations, while the 11 others were investigated for allegedly facilitating gambling for a profit, as gambling is a criminal offense in Taiwan.

Three witnesses also gave statements, while prosecutors and officers of the Investigation Bureau's Northern Mobile Team conducted searches at 17 locations, including the homes of Yeh and seven others and Yeh's office at the city council.

Chi was unable to obtain a license for the gaming arcade for years because there are several schools within a 600-meter radius, as well as a library and hospital within a 1,000-meter radius.

Article 4 of the Taipei City Electronic Gaming Arcades Installation and Management Self-governing Ordinance bans R-rated gaming arcades if there is a school or other public venue within a 1,000-meter radius.

However, Article 10 in the amended ordinance passed and implemented in 2017 introduced exemptions from the provisions of Article 4 for gaming arcade operators if they reapply within six months of the amended ordinance being implemented.

As a result, Chi managed to secure a license following the amendment, leading to suspicions over Yeh's misconduct in amending the regulations to create unlawful gains for an illegal business.