Former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世) was yesterday found guilty of accepting bribes and sentenced to a prison term of 13 years and six months by the Taiwan High Court, which also fined Lin NT$15.8 million (US$471,754).
Lin’s mother, Shen Juo-lan (沈若蘭), received a five-month term, which can be commuted to pay a fine of NT$150,000, for her role in destroying evidence in the case stemming from 2010, when Lin was a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator.
It was the second ruling on the case and the decision can be appealed.
Yesterday’s ruling was widely viewed as a heavy sentence, as the High Court handed down a longer prison term than in the first ruling by the Taipei District Court in 2013.
In the 2013 ruling, the court sentenced Lin to seven years and four months in prison, along with a fine of NT$15.8 million, while finding the other four defendants in the case — Lin’s wife, Peng Ai-chia (彭愛佳), his mother and two uncles, Shen Huan-yao (沈煥瑤) and Shen Huan-chang (沈煥璋) — not guilty of money laundering.
The High Court yesterday upheld the not guilty verdict for Peng and Lin’s mother’s brothers from the first ruling.
Lawyer Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) spoke on behalf of Lin after the court’s ruling yesterday, saying: “After hearing that he was given a heavier sentence, Lin did not display much emotion, but said he was disappointed by the ruling.
Lo said the ruling was regretful.
The ruling found Lin guilty of breaching official duty by receiving bribes and offenses of a public official accepting assets or property from unidentified sources.
The High Court said that Lin in 2010 held a legislator seat and was also the head of a top-level KMT policymaking body, and thus was in a position to influence the financial operation and management of state-owned China Steel Corp (CSC,中鋼) and its subsidiary, CHC Resources (中聯資源), through which Lin allegedly received NT$63 million in bribes.
The original indictment said that in 2010, Lin helped Kaohsiung-based Ti Yung Co (地勇選礦公司) to secure a slag treatment contract from CHC Resources in exchange for NT$63 million from Ti Yung owner Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥).
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS