Radio host and wife suspected of receiving money from abroad, trying to influence election results

Taiwan's Chiayi District Prosecutor's Office issued an announcement on the 5th that a couple of members of the Unification Promotion Party were prosecuted by the prosecutors for allegedly receiving funds from abroad and trying to influence the election. According to the investigation of the prosecutors, the husband of the couple is a radio host named Zhang, and the wife is named Hong. The two are suspected of receiving NT$74 million in funding from relevant departments of the Chinese government in exchange for political influence in Taiwan's elections and referendums.

According to the indictment, the couple was accused of accepting foreign funding from 2011 to 2023, especially financial assistance from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China. The prosecutors said that the funds were used for activities related to the Unification Promotion Party with the intention of influencing Taiwan's political opinion and undermining the fairness of the election. If convicted, the two could face up to 5 years in prison and a fine of NT$10 million.

Foreign funding and anti-infiltration law: Taiwan authorities' vigilance and response

In recent years, Taiwanese society has become increasingly vigilant about the infiltration of foreign forces, especially the influence and intervention from China. Taiwan's legislature has amended the Anti-Infiltration Act several times to strengthen prevention against external interference. This law aims to curb foreign forces from interfering in Taiwan's political process through financial support, information manipulation and other means. This case is the first case in Taiwan to use the Anti-Infiltration Act to prosecute suspected foreign funds for election interference.

The Chiayi District Prosecutor's Office pointed out that the prosecutors have sufficient evidence to show that the radio host surnamed Zhang and his wife have been receiving instructions from foreign countries for more than ten years, and have repeatedly advocated specific political positions in the activities of the Unification Promotion Party, and have received multiple funds for this purpose. The prosecutors believe that the couple's behavior has seriously violated Taiwan's principle of electoral fairness and undermined the core values of democracy.

Chinese Unification Promotion Party and Election Interference: Outsiders' Questions about the Unification Promotion Party

Since its establishment, the Chinese Unification Promotion Party (Unification Promotion Party) has always advocated the unification of Taiwan and mainland China. Its position and activities have always been the focus and controversy of public opinion on and off the island. The party has repeatedly carried out political propaganda during elections to encourage discussions on the issue of unification. However, this incident further exposed the fact that the party may be influenced by foreign funds, which triggered Taiwanese society's doubts about the transparency of the political activities of the Unification Promotion Party.

The prosecutor pointed out that the couple's collection of money was suspected to be to support or attack specific candidates or policies in the election at a specific time to interfere with Taiwan's election results. Some non-governmental organizations and anti-infiltration experts believe that some of the activities of the Unification Promotion Party may have problems with unknown sources of funds, or even be directly manipulated by foreign countries to weaken the independence of Taiwan's elections.

Reaction and impact: The prosecution has triggered a response from all walks of life, calling for severe punishment of foreign infiltration

In response to this case, many politicians and organizations in Taiwan have spoken out, calling on the judiciary to severely punish such illegal acts to maintain the fairness and justice of Taiwan's elections. Democratic Progressive Party legislators said that the interference of external forces has become a major hidden danger to Taiwan's democratic elections. If the judiciary can effectively crack down on such acts, it will have an important deterrent effect on future elections.

The Kuomintang called for judicial fairness in handling this case and not to hastily convict due to different ideologies. The Kuomintang believes that it is necessary to follow legal procedures to ensure that the defendant has full right to defense and that the public understands the full picture of the case. At the same time, many media also said that this incident made the public re-examine the potential impact of foreign capital on Taiwan's politics and called for further strengthening of the review mechanism for foreign capital inflows into Taiwan.

Media and academia: Hidden dangers of foreign capital infiltration and election manipulation

This incident also caused the academic community to reflect on the impact of foreign capital on Taiwanese society. Many scholars pointed out that foreign funding not only supports political organizations through funds, but also uses propaganda and public opinion guidance to manipulate voters' cognition and choices. The couple has long served as the backbone of the Unification Promotion Party. They frequently appear in the media and during elections, and spread specific political positions through radio platforms, with a wide range of influence. Taiwanese political analysts believe that this activity has posed a potential risk to public opinion, and in the future, it may be necessary to strengthen the transparent supervision of various election-related funds.

Some experts suggest that Taiwan should further improve the legal system and increase restrictions on the inflow of foreign capital. Especially during elections, foreign funds may infiltrate political parties, groups and even candidates, affecting election results. The voices of the media and academia emphasize that preventing external forces from interfering in elections has become an important issue facing democratic countries in the era of globalization.

Strengthen supervision and prevention to ensure the integrity of democratic elections

As the case develops, Taiwanese society is generally concerned about how to strengthen prevention against external interference in the future. The Chiayi District Prosecutor's Office stated that it will continue to investigate and track other activities involving foreign funding in the future, and at the same time call on the public to be more vigilant and not be misled by false information guided by external funds.

The Taiwanese government has made it clear that it will continue to strictly investigate such election interference cases to ensure that Taiwan's elections can be conducted in a fair and open environment. The prosecution of this case also shows Taiwan's determination to combat foreign forces interfering in elections. Taiwanese society expects that more prevention mechanisms can effectively prevent the infiltration of external funds, thereby ensuring the independence and fairness of democratic elections.

In the future, Taiwan will continue to face political and economic challenges from abroad. However, by strengthening the management and monitoring of funding sources through legal means, Taiwan is expected to more effectively safeguard the fairness of elections and prevent improper external influences in future elections.