Taipei: Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Cheng-chien, representing Hsinchu City, is under investigation by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office over allegations of leaking government information to Beijing.
According to Focus Taiwan, the prosecutors office has accepted a complaint filed by Lin Chih-chieh, the spokesperson of a campaign group advocating for the recall of Cheng and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao. Lin accused Cheng of accepting Chinese funding for his election campaigns and leaking government information. The complaint includes claims from a former assistant in Cheng's office, who alleged that Cheng accepted funding from the Chinese Communist Party.
The allegations further suggest that Cheng instructed the assistant to use his mobile phone to communicate with China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and transmit official government documents via WeChat, a Chinese messaging app. The High Prosecutors Office has tasked a team responsible for major national security threats to investigate these claims.
Lin, a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and a legal scholar, also filed a complaint with the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, accusing Cheng of violating the Political Donations Act, the National Security Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act. In response, the Taipei office has listed Cheng as a suspect and has assigned its special anti-corruption team to investigate.
Cheng responded to these allegations by releasing a statement denying any acceptance of funding from China and any sharing of confidential national security materials with the TAO. He described the recall campaign as disorganized and accused it of resorting to smears and red-baiting. Cheng asserted that he would pursue legal action against the accusations and urged anyone with real evidence to file charges.