"Data-Hunting Voldemort" Scandal Widens: Legislator Chien Shu-Pei Accused of Retaliatory Data Demands Against Civil Servants

Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-Pei, recently dubbed the "Data-Hunting Voldemort" by Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, is facing renewed scrutiny after revelations that the volume of data she has requested from city bureaus—were printed—would amount to one million sheets of paper, with more than 38 CDs worth of digital data. She has also requested procurement records for office paper, raising concerns that her demands far exceed the reasonable scope of legislative oversight.

An anonymous civil servant has alleged that Chien Shu-Pei's office engages in even more malicious practices: if a bureau fails to meet her demands, her office retaliates by demanding personal records of the civil servant handling the case. The whistleblower claims that Chien has instilled fear among civil servants, many of whom now worry that failing to satisfy her office’s requests could make them the next target.

This pattern reportedly began during the administration of former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je in 2021. At that time, Chien requested all engineering records, site inspections, and coordination meetings from the Geotechnical Engineering Office’s Hillside Housing Division. She also demanded records of all meetings chaired by the division chief between 2018 and 2021.

In 2023, Chien repeated the tactic after being dissatisfied with a Cultural Affairs Bureau official. She requested all budget execution records, subsidy programs, and project details from the bureau’s Cultural and Creative Development Division between 2020 and 2023. She further demanded records of all coordination meetings chaired by the division chief.

That same year, after disputing a case determination by the Building Management Office, Chien targeted the civil servant handling the case, demanding all files they processed from 2021 to 2023—including district team management timelines, inspection reports, photographs, repeated notices for rectification, forced demolition orders, confirmation of demolition completion, and on-site photos.

Chien also challenged the Building Management Office’s legal interpretation regarding apartment building regulations and subsequently demanded all cases handled by the responsible civil servant from 2020 to 2023, requiring detailed records including time, location, case content, responses, all official correspondence, and even 1999 citizen complaint cases.

In 2024, dissatisfied with the Building Management Office’s illegal structure reporting, Chien again targeted the office, demanding all documents bearing the承办person’s official seal, all meeting minutes they chaired or attended, and retaliatory demands for all staff members’ overtime pay, meal allowances,公务motorcycle parking fees, and travel records from the reporting team.