A Taipei couple who worked for Foxconn Technology Group companies were found guilty on charges stemming from the manipulation of company accounting systems to boost their salary payments.
The Shilin District Court convicted Huang Hsin-lei (黃馨蕾) and her husband, Chang Er-lin (張二麟), of fraud and ordered them to pay back NT$8.42 million (US$273,359).
Huang was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison, with an additional 16-month term commutable to a NT$480,000 fine, while Chang was given a sentence of three years and two months, commutable to a NT$1.44 million fine.
The sentences can be appealed.
Huang began work at Setabox Technology Co in April 2012 as a human resources department manager, while Chang began contract work for the firm in January 2013, the court said.
Foxconn in 2013 began procedures to dissolve Setabox and Huang was transferred to Syntrend Creative Park Co, which markets consumer electronics.
Huang took advantage of her position at Setabox, and exploited lax monitoring and accounting program deficiencies to change employee salary sheets, increasing her monthly salary from NT$30,000 to NT$140,000 and later NT$280,000, the court said.
She also increased payments to Chang, with both receiving undue severance pay when the company was dissolved that year, the court said, adding that investigators estimated that Setabox had been defrauded of NT$5.3 million.
At Syntrend, Huang used similar tactics to increase her salary and grant bonuses and other incentives to Huang, even though he was not an employee there, it said.
In 2014, Syntrend executives found payroll irregularities totaling NT$3.12 million, which prompted a lawsuit against the couple, the court said.
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