Ten people have been detained and are being held incommunicado by prosecutors in connection with a bribery case involving the Pacific Sogo Department Store chain. Of the ten, five are incumbent lawmakers.
The lawmakers accused of taking bribes are the Kuomintang’s Chen Chao-ming and Liao Kuo-tung, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Su Chen-ching, former New Power Party lawmaker Hsu Yung-ming, and Chao Cheng-yu, an independent. Chao has since been released on bail.
One of the other suspects is former Foreign Minister Mark Chen, who has also been released on bail.
So far, prosecutors have brought in a total of 63 people for questioning.
At the center of the case is a legal battle for ownership over the Sogo department stores, which started in the early 2000s. Prosecutors say they are looking into whether the ten suspects took bribes in exchange for helping the former chairman of the Pacific Distribution Investment Co, Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆), win ownership.
DPP Lawmaker Su Chen-ching is alleged to have accepted NT$20 million ($677,920) in bribes since 2013. The others are alleged to have taken bribes ranging from tens of thousands of Taiwan dollars to NT$2 million ($67,792) during that same period.
Meanwhile, Lawmaker Su Chen-ching’s uncle, DPP heavyweight Su Jia-chyuan, stepped down as Presidential Office secretary-general on Sunday over his nephew’s alleged involvement in the scandal.
Former Foreign Minister David Lee has been appointed to fill Su Jia-chyuan’s seat.