Teng Hsiang-mei (鄧香妹), who claimed to be the mistress of late Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), was given a final sentence of five years in prison yesterday for extortion.
Chang Yi-hua (張怡華), Teng’s daughter, is already serving a three-year prison term after being sentenced by the Taiwan High Court last year.
The high court said that because Teng was absent several times during her trial, authorities had to go to Teng’s residence in Taipei to look for her. The court added that Teng refused to open the door when they came.
The court said Teng had claimed she suffered from cancer and was unable to attend the hearings or serve a prison term, but judges had received hospital medical records showing Teng was in good health.
Teng and her daughter were found guilty of demanding hush money from the Koo family.
The two were convicted of obtaining property by threats because Chang and her mother Teng had threatened and harassed the Koo family, the high court’s ruling said.
Teng and Chang were both indicted by prosecutors in 2005 after DNA tests failed to establish any kinship between Chang and Koo.
Teng said that she had received hush money from Koo for years. After Chang was born, Teng said, Koo gave Chang and Teng two apartments and — since 1994 — monthly cash payments.
The two went public with their claims in 2005, when Koo’s family refused to make any more payments after his death at 89 years old.
According to Teng, 67, she first met Koo in 1964 when he was 48 and she was in her early 20s, and the two had a relationship until Koo’s death.
Three years after Koo and Teng met, she had Chang, who is now 42 years old.
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