TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three people have been arrested in Yunlin for allegedly offering toilet paper to those signing their support for Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) presidential bid, about two weeks after campaign members were suspected of offering supporters cash incentives.
Yunlin prosecutors said on Thursday (Nov. 2) that they had received reports that members of a local farmers association were offering boxes of toilet paper worth NT$900 (around US$28) to those who signed their names in support of Gou’s presidential bid, per CNA. Prosecutors said 13 people were initially under suspicion of bribery, and 10 were released after questioning.
The bail for the remaining three has been set at NT$200,000. Those found guilty of offering incentives to the public in exchange for support for a presidential candidate can be sentenced to between one and seven years in jail, and a fine of between NT$1 million and NT$10 million.
Foxconn founder and former CEO Gou plans to run as an independent presidential candidate, and he has been conducting a signature drive to gather the required support to register for the election. Gou’s campaign submitted public endorsements to the electoral commission on Wednesday but said it would continue to add signatures until the Thursday deadline.
According to aggregated poll results, Gou’s support has been slipping in recent months, hovering at around 9%.