The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the guilty verdict and 16-year sentence for corruption against former judge Hu Ching-pin (胡景彬).
The case has received a lot of publicity, as Hu, popularly known as “Taiwan’s most corrupt judge,” had NT$46 million (US$1.55 million at the current exchange rate) in assets, which reportedly came from bribes.
He lived a lavish lifestyle with three wives and owned numerous properties.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
In the first ruling by the Taichung District Court in October 2014, Hu was found guilty of abusing his position as a judge at the Taiwan High Court’s Taichung branch by soliciting bribes in exchange for favorable verdicts and was given a 14-year sentence, which he appealed.
In June last year, the High Court’s Taichung branch upheld the conviction, but increased the sentence to 16 years, while also imposing a fine of NT$6 million.
Yesterday’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed.
The Supreme Court said that in a 2011 financial dispute over a Taichung hotel building, one of the major shareholders, surnamed Chiu (邱), lost the initial hearing at the Taichung District Court. After Chiu appealed the verdict, the case went to Hu.
Chiu made contacted Hu and gave him NT$3 million and other expensive gifts through one of Hu’s wives. Hu then stalled the trial and forced another hotel shareholder to settle in favor of Chiu, information reviewed during the latest hearing showed.
Hu had faced allegations of bribery and corruption before, for which he was charged and dismissed from his position.
However, after three years, he won a favorable ruling in an appeal and was reinstated as a High Court judge in 2009.
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