TAOYUAN (TVBS News) — Former Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 海基會) Chairman Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), a former vice premier, appeared at the district court for the second hearing on Monday (Dec. 30). Prosecutors indicted Cheng on bribery charges, alleging he accepted NT$5 million during his tenure as Taoyuan mayor.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Cheng arrived at the court around 8:58 a.m., wearing a white shirt and black jacket like in previous days. He remained silent and masked as he faced the media. The first pretrial hearing took place on Dec. 19, where Cheng pleaded not guilty, denying the bribery allegations. As the case unfolds, Cheng's defense remains firm in denying the accusations, while the court proceedings continue to capture public attention.
Cheng addressed the "black briefcase" incident, explaining that he only discovered the money-filled bag the day after a brief meeting with former Formosa Plastics Group consultant Liao Chun-song (廖俊松). "Liao did not directly hand me a bag of money." He noted that he only found a bag under the table the next day, confirmed it was Liao's, and asked him to retrieve it. He later returned the money through his son Liao Li-ting (廖力廷).
Cheng claimed ignorance of any phone tapping, asserting he learned of it only during the prosecutor's inquiry. He argued that had he known about the surveillance, it would have been illogical to contact Liao Li-ting directly, as such monitoring would imply that all involved parties were under scrutiny.