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Jul 11, 2007

KMT sold at-large seat?

(Reports in Liberty Times, China Times)

New Party legislator Tsao Shou-min (曹壽民) suddenly resigned his post. Taiwanese businessman and KMT central committee member Huang Liang-hua (黃良華) will be appointed to his seat.

Now here's the kicker: KMT/New Party legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩) [blog - wiki (Chin.)] said to the media that a "highly placed source" within the KMT told her Huang Liang-hua had tried to buy a seat in the past for NT$10 million. That offer was apparently for the seat of Huang Teh-fu (黃德福), but according to Lei, Huang Teh-fu wasn't willing to give up his seat.

Lei says there is "certainly a possibility" that a third person within the party brokered the deal, going between Huang Liang-hua and Tsao Shou-min to cut the deal. She would not come out directly and say there was any "exchange of conditions," because this is essentially a rumor (no proof, no named sources).

UPDATE: KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) said that he personally ahd once suggested offering his at large seat to Huang Liang-hua, but since Tsao Shou-min already had his own plans to leave, Chiang got to keep his seat after all and still get Huang LIang-hua on board.

DPP is threatening a lawsuit.

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