Grassroots leader jailed in Taichung

Former Taichung County Council speaker Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), an influential leader in the grassroots politics of central Taiwan, was sentenced to 20 years yesterday on charges of graft and attempted murder.

Yen, leader of central Taiwan's most powerful local faction and chairman of the renowned Chenlan Temple, was also found guilty by the Taichung District Court of illegal possession of firearms and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Chang Ching-tang (張清堂), the council's vice speaker, and Tsai Wen-hsiung (蔡文雄), its director general, were also found guilty of graft and both were sentenced to 12 years in prison.

In reading the verdict, trial judge Chuang Shen-yuan (莊深淵) decided the three, having been kept in custody since March, would remain in detention.

Yen, after receiving the verdict, shouted while leaving the courtroom: "It's nothing but political persecution."

A former KMT member and now supporter of People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), Yen claimed his indictment was the result of a political struggle.

Yen's wife, Hou Li-chuan (侯麗娟), said after the sentencing: "It's unfair to him [Yen]. We're going to appeal."

Yen, now 41, was elected as speaker of the Taichung County Council in 1998, at the same time as Chang became its vice speaker.

The court found the three defendants had spent millions of NT dollars of taxpayers' money between 1998 and last year to cover their expenditures at hostess bars and KTV lounges.

It was found that the trio, who had patronized such establishments every two or three days, had spent a total of over NT$30 million from the council's budget and still owed some NT$10 million in unpaid bills to various hostess bars.

In his ruling, the judge condemned the defendants' abuse of public office and ordered the three to return the NT$30 million to the state treasury.

In a government crackdown on organized crime in 1986, Yen spent three and a half years in Green Island's maximum-security prison. His participation in local politics began soon after he was released.

As a member of the KMT's "black faction" (黑派) in Taichung County, Yen was elected to the county council and, by the age of 35, he became the youngest ever member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly.

Under the attempted murder charge, the court found Yen guilty of masterminding the 1996 shooting of a man believed to have tried to blackmail him via telephone calls.

It was also found that in July 1996, Yen had organized his cronies to find a scapegoat to take the rap for his brother, who was wanted for his involvement in another shooting.

In the ruling yesterday, the court sentenced Yen to 20 years in jail plus a fine of NT$10 million. Chang and Tsai were both sentenced to 12 years as well as fines of NT$10 million and NT$2 million respectively.

A grassroots political leader of the KMT, Yen was courted by James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Lien Chan (連戰) in the presidential election of March last year.

In the run-up to the election, he threw his support behind Soong, resulting in his expulsion from the KMT.

Aside from his political power, Yen is also known as chairman of the Chen Lan Temple (鎮瀾宮) in Taichung County and has pushed for direct sea pilgrimages to China.