The Chiayi District Court on Sunday ordered independent Chiayi City Councilor Tai Ning (??) to be detained on suspicion of embezzling more than NT$5 million (US$175,784) in government pay.

The court made the decision at a hearing held earlier in the day after the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office filed an appeal against the court’s previous decision on March 10 to release Tai on bail of NT$800,000.

Tai and three of her assistants were summoned by prosecutors for questioning on March 9 for having allegedly claimed over NT$5 million through fraudulent means since June 2012 by listing relatives as staff members and collecting their wages at government expense.

The prosecutors then filed a motion with the district court to hold them incommunicado on March 10. At that time, Tai issued a statement denying her guilt.

Having considered that there was no risk of collusion with accomplices and destruction of evidence, the district court initially ruled that Tai be released on bail but banned from traveling abroad.

It also ordered the other three to be released on bail of NT$150,000, NT$50,000 and NT$30,000.

Unwilling to accept the ruling, prosecutors filed an appeal that same day with the Taiwan High Court’s Tainan branch against the decision.

The high court eventually remanded the case to the district court on Saturday for a new hearing, based on several reasons.

It said the lower court failed to explain how it would prevent Tai from making contact with those involved in the case and did not consider the possibility that Tai would jump bail given her wealth and social status.

Tai said under questioning that she did not remember some events related to the case, but then explained these events clearly during the court hearing on Sunday, Chiayi District Court spokesman Hung Yu-hsiang (???) said.

Her statements were identical to those made by another witness, indicating the possibility of collusion, Hung said.

Tai had also argued that her office staff had been hired by her parents, which differed from what other witnesses had said, according to Hung, who said Tai’s parents and other witnesses should be summoned for questioning.

During the district court’s first hearing to decide if Tai should be detained on March 10, it did not order Tai’s parents to be present for questions, according to the high court.

At Sunday’s hearing, the lower court ordered Tai to be detained because of the risk of collusion given her close relationship with her parents and her involvement in the alleged fraud for as long as nine years, Hung said.

Tai has hired a lawyer to file an appeal on Monday against the ruling.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel