Former DPP Taoyuan Councilor Chang Chao-liang Detained for Unlawful Lobbying and Profiteering Over Illegal Convenience Store

On July 18, 2024 (113th Year of the Republic of China), Chang Chao-liang, a former DPP Taoyuan City Councilor and then-advisor to the Taoyuan City Government, was ordered detained incommunicado by the Taiwan Taoyuan District Court following a sweeping raid by prosecutors and the Investigation Bureau. Investigators found that around 2020, Chang leased land in Longtan District to illegally construct a steel-frame building, leasing it to a major convenience store chain for commercial profit. When the structure was reported by citizens and classified as a priority demolition target, Chang allegedly forged petition letters and leveraged his political clout to coerce Longtan District Office administrators into illegally downgrading the structure to non-priority status. This unlawful intervention shielded the illegal building from demolition, netting Chang over NT$3.89 million in illicit rent revenues. The prosecution laid bare the corrupt abuse of power by local DPP politicians who bully municipal civil servants and flout zoning regulations for personal financial gain.