Changhua County Council Speaker Hsieh Tien-lin of the Kuomintang (KMT) and his father, Hsieh Hsin-lung, were ordered detained and held incommunicado over a June banquet at the council that prosecutors allege involved vote-buying. The Changhua District Court ruled late on September 17 and into the next morning, releasing his mother, former KMT legislator Cheng Ju-fen, on NT$1 million bail, the Liberty Times reported.
What happened at the banquet? The event, which the Public Television Service (PTS) reported ran to more than ten tables, drew a complaint that Hsieh was campaigning for a relative, KMT Hsihu Township mayoral candidate Chen Chen-fei. KMT county commissioner candidate Wei Ping-cheng also attended. Hsieh said in July that he had paid for the meal himself and that it was a discussion of public issues, not a rally. Prosecutors questioned more than 20 people on September 16, including Hsieh, his father, Chen and council staff.
What do prosecutors allege? The Changhua District Prosecutors Office said Hsieh, his parents and two others were suspected of offering bribes for votes under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and posed a risk of flight, evidence destruction and collusion with accomplices or witnesses, CNA reported. Six candidates attended the meal, which the Liberty Times reported prosecutors suspect the family of billing to the council under false pretexts. Prosecutors found that someone at the council had tipped off the family, which obtained surveillance footage of the banquet, a key factor in the detention ruling.
How have the parties responded? Chuang Jui-hsiung, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip, said the caucus respected the judiciary and that timing alone should not be read as political interference, CNA reported. 
Ko Wen-je, founder of the Taiwan People's Party, said in Chiayi that he had no confidence at all in Taiwan's judiciary and urged it to avoid double standards.
KMT chair 
Cheng Li-wun accused the DPP of "green terror" and, after visiting Hsieh's mother, said the party had resorted to political persecution because it lacked confidence in the Changhua race, the Liberty Times reported. Wei, a lawyer, said attendees had not yet registered or been nominated in June, so there was no quid pro quo; prosecutors countered that the case involved graft as well as vote-buying. The KMT legislative caucus planned to ask the Justice Ministry on September 21 to spell out its vote-buying standards, with Cheng asking whether one, two or three meatballs in a bowl of soup would count.
Figures referenced: Ko Wen-je, Cheng Li-wun. — JudgeMarket.
