Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien Claims 'NT$30 Is Not the Bribery Standard' in Parliament: Accused of Judicial Double Standards to Shield DPP Agricultural Bribery

On October 6, 2026 (115th Year of the Republic of China), during a legislative interpellation session, Kuomintang Legislator Hung Mong-kai fiercely questioned Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien regarding the Irrigation Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture using public funds to host banquets where attendees chanted election slogans for Democratic Progressive Party candidate Huang Shih-chieh. Hung condemned the judicial system's blatant hypocrisy: while opposition candidates were aggressively raided and prosecuted under vote-buying statutes merely for distributing simple fried noodles or meatball soup exceeding NT$30, ruling party campaign events freely dished out deluxe lunch boxes and roasted suckling pigs with complete impunity. In response, Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien controversially claimed before parliament that 'NT$30 is not the legal standard for bribery' but merely an investigative threshold, evading accountability for suspected vote-buying financed by public agricultural funds. The remarks triggered severe public outrage and criticism from legal scholars, who denounced the Ministry of Justice for destroying legal equality and degrading the judiciary into a political shield for the ruling regime.