Criminal records of local politicians revealed by anti-corruption NGO

2022-08-29

A new website reveals the criminal records of Taiwan’s local politicians for the first time. Data from news and court records was put together to create the database of city and county councilors’ histories. It’s a project from the non-profit Taiwan Anti-corruption and Whistleblower Protection Association. TAWPA found that 15% of Taiwan’s sitting local representatives have a criminal conviction.

Huang Kuo-chang
TAWPA secretary-general
His birth name was Hsu Hsiang-ming, and then it was first changed to Hsu Ping-hua. Only after the second name change did it become Hsu Hsiu-jui. And under the previous names there were records of him identified as linked to organized crime, to violent organizations, criminal organizations.

Secretary-general of TAWPA Huang Kuo-chang presents data about the criminal records of sitting local government representatives. The records have been compiled by trawling through media reportage and court records.

Huang Kuo-chang
TAWPA secretary-general
There are representatives implicated in the Firearms and Ammunitions Control Act, including Tuan Shu-wen and Chang Chin-kun, who was given a prison sentence for a shooting incident. Tainan city councilor Kuo Ching-hua was also convicted of carrying a firearm under that Act.

TAWPA has a new webpage listing the criminal records of political candidates of all stripes from across Taiwan. The records of all sitting representatives can be accessed at the click of a finger.

Cheng Shen-yuan
TAWPA
Of course we can’t be sure how representatives will execute their duties in the future. But I think we can have objective standards to refer to in terms of their past and how they managed their behavior.

Chang Hung-lin
CitizenCongress Watch
Now that the TAWPA has provided this data, if people still want to buy into these candidates, then all I can say is, it’s Taiwan’s karma.

The statistics show that from 885 sitting local government representatives, 136 have criminal convictions – about 15%. TAWPA hopes the data will inform voters about politicians, but also inform political parties in their choice of electoral candidates. If they continue to nominate people with criminal histories, they’ll need to explain why.

公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會公布議員議長前科名單

2022-08-29

台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會，彙整現任議員犯罪前科資訊，只要透過網站查詢，議員過去涉及的刑案，全都清清楚楚，根據協會公布的統計資料，全國885名議員中，有多達136名現任議員，背後都有犯罪前科，佔了所有議員一成五左右。

[[台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會理事長黃國昌]]
“他的第一個名字叫做許項鳴，他的第二個名字叫做許柄樺，到了第三個名字，才是許修睿，而在之前的這些名字裡面，都有成為治平，成為暴力組織，犯罪組織的痕跡”

台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會理事長黃國昌，公布現任議員議長涉及刑案資訊，在過去新聞資料，以及司法判決書交叉比對下，所有的犯罪前科，全攤在陽光下。

[[台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會理事長黃國昌]]
“曾經有槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例的現任議員，包括了段樹文、彰化縣議員張錦昆，他也曾經因為槍擊案件入監服刑，台南市議會的市議員郭清華，他之前也曾經因為持槍，而遭到槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例的判刑”

台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會，架設全國議員候選人犯罪前科網頁，現任縣市議員，只要有前科資料，網頁裡全都查得到。

[[台灣公益揭弊暨吹哨者保護協會理事鄭深元]]
“當然議員的將來，如何執行職務我們不清楚，但是他過去是怎麼樣，在處理他的行為這個部分，我想我們有這個客觀的標準，可以來做驗證”

[[公民監督國會聯盟執行長張宏林]]
“如果今天協會都提供了這些資訊，你還要買的話，我只能說，那就是台灣的宿命”

根據協會統計發現，全國885名議員中，有高達136名現任議員，涉及犯罪前科，比例佔了15.37%，網站提供議員前科資訊，除了作為選民投票參考依據，更希望各政黨，在提名前科候選人之前，能夠多想想，堅持提名的話，也得給選民一個交代。