Emei Township Council Chair Detained Over Embezzlement Allegations

Hsinchu County, May 22 (CNA) - The Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office is investigating Wen Hsiu-ju, chair of the Emei Township Council in Hsinchu County, for a corruption case involving the alleged use of fraudulent receipts to embezzle legislative operating funds and subsidies from the county government. Prosecutors have summoned multiple individuals and seized a large number of receipts, deeming the charges serious enough to request her detention. Wen is accused of using fraudulent receipts to embezzle legislative operating funds and, in her capacity as the head of a private organization, defrauding the township office and county government of subsidies and filing false reports, violating the Anti-Corruption Act. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office stated in a press release today that the prosecutor in charge directed the Taipei City Investigation Office of the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau yesterday to summon Wen and a total of 8 related defendants and 5 witnesses, seizing a large amount of illegal receipts. Prosecutors stated that after questioning, they found Wen's involvement in crimes such as using her position to embezzle property under the Anti-Corruption Act, causing public servants to make false entries in official documents, fraud, and making false entries in business documents to be serious. Given that the minimum sentence for these crimes is five years or more and there is a risk of collusion, the prosecutor arrested her on the spot and requested the court to detain her. Prosecutors noted that defendants surnamed Wu, Wang, and Li were released on bail of NT$30,000 to NT$50,000, while the others were released. The investigation will continue to uncover the truth and eradicate illegal activities.