TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office indicted former Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) and 11 co-defendants for corruption on Tuesday (Aug. 27).
Prosecutor Tang Hui-lung (唐惠龍) accused Cheng of violating the Anti-Corruption Act and recommended a 12-year sentence due to Cheng’s denial of the allegations and the substantial amount of bribes, totaling NT$5 million (US$156,614), per CNA. Tang’s investigation focused on a major redistricting plan in Linkou during Cheng’s tenure as Taoyuan mayor between 2014 and 2022.
The Kungwu Industrial District Enlargement Plan (KIDEP) aimed to convert 50.88 hectares of farmland into industrial districts to accommodate Linkou's growth, according to the Taoyuan City Department of Urban Development webpage. Tang said Cheng’s co-defendants, Formosa Plastic Group’s (FPG) former management office head and leader of the redistricting effort Yang Chao-lin (楊兆麟), Vice President and FPG spokesperson Hou Shui-wen (侯水文), and FPG consultant and chairperson of the redistricting committee Liao Chun-sung (廖俊松), led a redistricting effort to turn a 9.5-hectare patch of farmland into a housing zone right before the KIDEP, per a Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office press release.
Tang said the three co-defendants bribed Cheng to expedite the process. They met with Cheng repeatedly and reportedly told him, “We wouldn't want to offend you.”
Cheng was arrested on July 5 on corruption charges. The court rejected his repeated requests for bail due to reasonable suspicion and other risks to the investigation.
The investigation recovered NT$879,590 from the home of Cheng’s assistant. An additional NT$6.78 million was recovered from Cheng’s residence.
