Lienchiang Prosecutors and County Gov't Team Up to Enhance Civil Servants' Integrity and Legal Awareness

(CNA, by Pan Hsin-tung, Lienchiang County, 19th) The Lienchiang District Prosecutors Office and the Lienchiang County Government's Department of Government Ethics jointly held a workshop on anti-corruption, integrity promotion, and election investigation today. The event focused on case analyses of illegal profiteering in public works procurement and common vote-buying methods, aiming to collectively enhance the integrity and legal awareness of civil servants in the county and reduce the likelihood of corruption. The Fukien Lienchiang District Prosecutors Office issued a press release today stating that the workshop was organized by the Lienchiang County Government's Department of Government Ethics this afternoon to improve the understanding of election interference among government ethics personnel in Lienchiang and to strengthen their integrity literacy for handling corruption investigations or prevention. The Prosecutors Office said the workshop began with a lecture by Chief Prosecutor Liu Chun-chieh on "Case Analysis of Illegal Profiteering in Public Works Procurement." He explained the constituent elements of the crime of illegal profiteering, the distinction between profiteering and providing public convenience, and discussed case studies and practical interpretations to deepen the ethics officers' understanding of the Anti-Corruption Act's provisions on profiteering, hoping they would fulfill their duties to oversee the legality of procurement procedures and manage corruption risks. The Prosecutors Office stated that this was followed by a presentation from Head Prosecutor Yang Yi-yun, who explained various types of election interference crimes under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act and the Criminal Code. She particularly highlighted "ghost voters" and common vote-buying techniques, such as providing donations to specific temples, groups, or communities, offering gifts or other valuable items in exchange for votes, or subsidizing overseas travel, all of which constitute illegal vote-buying. The Prosecutors Office emphasized that the lecture's purpose was to enhance the integrity and legal awareness of civil servants within its jurisdiction, reduce the possibility of corruption, and expressed hope that government ethics personnel would leverage their grassroots presence to assist in collecting intelligence on election interference, plan anti-vote-buying campaigns, and jointly safeguard the electoral climate in Matsu.