World News | Chinese Councillor Chen Tsui-luan's Prison Sentence Upheld by Taiwan Supreme Court
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The Taiwanese Supreme Court on Monday upheld the corruption conviction of former Kaohsiung city councilor Chen Tsui-luan, sentencing her to 10 years and five months in prison for embezzling NTD 4.49 million through fraudulent travel subsidy claims. Chen, who began serving her sentence in 2018, was also implicated in a scheme involving fake employee lists to siphon funds from her daughter's councilor office. In separate corruption cases, township mayors in Penghu and Miaoli counties face allegations of bribery, fraudulent reporting, and misappropriation of government subsidies.
Taipei [Taiwan], December 11 (ANI): Former Kaohsiung city councilor Chen Tsui-luan of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will serve a 10-year, five-month prison term after the Supreme Court upheld her corruption conviction on Monday, Taipei Times reported.
Chen was found guilty of unlawfully pocketing NTD 4.49 million (USD 138,409) in government funds through fraudulent travel subsidy claims dating back to 2013.
Investigators revealed that Chen forged receipts to secure travel subsidies by falsely claiming official work trips as a councillor, while instead using the funds to take family vacations. Her prison sentence began in August 2018, but she continued to orchestrate corrupt activities from behind bars.
An investigation uncovered that Chen conspired with her son, Cheng Chia-hong, and councillor office director Wang Mei-chu to submit fake employee lists for her daughter Cheng An-li's councillor office. Monthly wages for these fictitious assistants were siphoned off over several years.
While Cheng Chia-hong received a 16-month prison term, it was later suspended. Wang, however, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, reported Taipei Times.
Separately, in Penghu County, interim mayor Cheng Chao-chung was sworn in on Monday following the detention of Wanan Township Mayor Hsu Te-hsien on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that Hsu misappropriated government subsidies meant for local residents, falsified accounting reports, and accepted bribes to secure employment positions on the township's sanitation team.
Last week, Hsu's office was searched by prosecutors, and a judge subsequently approved a request for his pre-trial detention, citing a high risk of evidence tampering and flight.
Meanwhile, in Miaoli County, former Tongshiao Township mayor Chen Han-chih was indicted on Monday alongside eight accomplices for bribery and corruption involving 13 local government projects. Chen, an independent, allegedly solicited bribes ranging from 10 to 15 per cent of project budgets, which covered roadwork, sewer construction, flood-control initiatives, and landslide prevention efforts, Taipei Times reported.
Prosecutors also noted that in a previous case, Chen was convicted of taking NTD 1.07 million in bribes related to a solar panel farm project and received a five-year prison term.
These cases underscore the ongoing challenge of addressing corruption in local governance, with officials from multiple townships facing scrutiny for misusing public funds and engaging in bribery schemes. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)