The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld an earlier ruling that found Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and his office assistant, Yao Liang-tian (姚糧鈿), guilty of corruption in the second retrial of a 2006 case stemming from a Taichung land deal.
The court’s Taichung branch sentenced Kao to four years and six months in prison and a NT$500,000 (US$15,690) fine for influence peddling and receiving an illegal political donation of NT$500,000 in contravention of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), while Yao was sentenced to a 16-month term.
Both can still appeal.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
In the first trial, the lawmaker was found guilty. He appealed his conviction and the decision was overturned and the case sent back for a second trial.
However, in that retrial he was found guilty and sentenced to seven years and six months in prison. Kao then appealed that verdict.
The case was linked to an effort by a Taichung company to lease a plot of land belonging to the Ministry of Finance’s National Property Administration in 2006.
The company contacted Yao after it encountered problems when negotiating a deal with government officials. After finally reaching a deal to rent the land for daytime market use, the company paid a NT$2 million “commission” to Yao, as had been promised.
According to yesterday’s court statement, Yao used NT$1 million to pay off personal debts, put NT$500,000 into his bank accounts and gave NT$500,000 to Kao as a “political donation” for his campaign fund.
As a lawmaker, Kao had “substantial influence” in talks with National Property Administration officials to clinch the deal in favor of the company, prosecutors said.
During the retrial’s hearings, Kao denied the corruption and influence peddling charges, and said the deal was Yao’s personal business.
DPP spokesperson David Huang (黃適卓) said the party respects the court’s decision, as well as Kao’s right to appeal the ruling.
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