Former Chiayi County Council Speaker Hsiao Teng-piao (
However, both the defendant's family and the prosecutor were dissatisfied with the court decision.
Hsiao himself did not appear to hear the court decision yesterday, but his niece, Hsiao Yan-yu (
The prosecutor is thinking of appealing against the acquittal -- especially on the counts of blackmail and illegal confinement. The grassroots political heavyweight became a wanted suspect on these charges in December 1996 following the Chihping anti-gangster program (
After more than two years on the run, Hsiao finally turned himself in to the Chiayi Prosecutors' Office last September, claiming that he was a victim of a political ploy conspired by former Minister of Justice Liao Cheng-hao (
The prosecution originally brought six charges against Hsiao after over three months of investigation, during which testimony from more than 150 witnesses was recorded.
The six charges included blackmail, illegal confinement, three counts of using his position to secure loans exceeding his credit limit from farmer's associations, and using bribery to influence the outcome of an election of managers to a farmer's association.
In the district court decision yesterday, Hsiao was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for one of the loans he took from a farmer's association in Chiayi County and for his interference in elections for another farmer's association.
Moreover, the court again overruled Hsiao's request for bail yesterday on the same grounds as in its previous rulings -- that the defendant had absconded before.
Lin Kuen-chih (
Hsiao Yan-yu said their family was very upset with the court's decision not to grant Hsiao bail, and she suggested supporters of the former council speaker might carry out protests following the decision yesterday.
"While those who have been sentenced to life [in prison] are granted bail, how come my uncle, who was only sentenced to two years and four months, still has to be detained?" Hsiao Yan-yu said.
"Many of my uncle's supporters had wanted to stage protests against the court, and we tried to calm them down and told them to wait until the court rendered its verdict. But if they want to take any action now, we won't try to stop them."
Hsiao, who served as a Chiayi County councilor and then as speaker, was the first scalp taken during the Chihping crackdown.
But despite having an arrest warrant out on him, Hsiao managed to evade capture using immunity laws which prevent elected councilors from being arrested as long as their assemblies are in session.
Hsiao made frequent public appearances after he was targeted as a suspect in the crackdown and strongly denied the charges made against him.
Then, in February 1998, on the eve of the vote for speakership of the Chiayi County Council, Hsiao abruptly announced he was withdrawing his candidacy. He has not been seen in public since.
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