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Billionaire suspected of toilet paper bribing in Taiwan

According to the statement, the prosecutor’s office of Yunlin county received information earlier that members from a local farmers association gave boxes filled with toilet paper to anyone who supported Gou’s candidacy for the post of the head of Taiwan administration

HONG KONG, November 2. /TASS/. Terry Gou, the billionaire running for head of the Taiwan administration, is suspected of bribing voters with toilet paper, the prosecutor’s office of the Yunlin county said.

Gou is running as an independent candidate. The businessman needed to gather about 289,700 signatures by November 2 to take part in the race. The billionaire said he had gathered the required number and submitted them to the elections committee on November 1.

According to the statement, the prosecutor’s office of Yunlin county received information earlier that members from a local farmers association gave boxes filled with toilet paper costing 900 new Taiwan dollars (about $28) to anyone who supported Gou’s candidacy for the post of the head of Taiwan administration.

Thirteen individuals were initially brought in for questioning in the bribing scheme, with ten of them being released after interrogation. A bail of 200,000 new Taiwan dollars ($6,190) was set for the other three suspects. They could face up to seven years in prison and a fine from one to ten mln new Taiwan dollars ($30,900 - 309,400) if they are found guilty.

Terry Gou is the founder and ex-Chairman of Foxconn (a.k.a. Hon Hai Precision Industry), the world’s largest contracted manufacturer of electronics. Foxconn ranks 27th in the Fortune Global 500 rating. The 73-year-old businessman is worth an estimated $7.2 bln. He is the sixth richest person in Taiwan and 317th on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people.

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