Taipei, June 3 (CNA) — Taipei City Councilor Chen E-jun (陳怡君) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been indicted on charges of bribery and public fund misuse, the Shilin District Prosecutors Office announced Tuesday.
Chen and her assistant, Chang Hui-lin (張惠霖), are accused of accepting bribes from Pinchia Construction Co., Ltd. between August 2023 and February 2025. Prosecutors allege the bribes were tied to fast-tracking construction permits for a project in Datong District.
Pinchia’s representative Hu Wei-liang (胡偉良) and President Kao Ming-yi (高明義) were also indicted for offering bribes to the councilor’s office.
Prosecutors stated that Chang was hired as a consultant by Pinchia and paid over NT$700,000 (US$23,351) in monthly fees. In return, Chen and Chang exerted pressure on Taipei city departments to speed up administrative approvals, while also using the city councilor’s platform to facilitate tasks like street tree relocations and temporary utility setups.
Kao admitted he recruited Chang to leverage the influence of a councilor and gain smoother cooperation from civil servants. Chang also acknowledged receiving payments and serving as a go-between for the company’s urban renewal needs.
Additionally, both Chen and Chang were indicted for fraudulently claiming over NT$3.84 million in fake assistant salaries. Three family members were also indicted for allowing their names to be used in the fraudulent scheme, despite not performing any assistant duties.
Prosecutors reported that both Chen and Chang confessed and have repaid the misappropriated salary funds in full. They have been held incommunicado since February, as the Shilin District Court cited a risk of collusion and tampering with evidence.
The case marks a significant political scandal for the DPP amid growing public scrutiny over government integrity and urban development practices in Taipei.
