Following a three-month formal investigation that began after he turned himself in -- and after having been on the run from the law for almost three years -- the Chiayi County Prosecutor's Office yesterday handed down a 45,000-word indictment against former Chiayi County Council speaker Hsiao Teng-piao (
Hsiao was indicted yesterday along with some 50 other officials on six counts, including blackmail, bribery, violation of liberty and breach of trust.
Seven other recommended charges against him, involving the soon-to-be-repealed "bandit law," were dismissed due to lack of evidence. They include kidnapping, extortion, fraud, and baseball gambling.
Since the six charges each carry sentences of less than five years in jail, however, it is most likely that Hsiao will be let out on bail soon after his trial starts.
Hsiao had been on the run from police since late 1996, when he was targeted during a large-scale anti-gangster crusade.
In February 1998, on the eve of the vote for the speakership of the Chiayi County Council, Hsiao abruptly announced he was withdrawing his candidacy, disappearing again from view.
He had not been seen in public since, before turning himself in on Sept. 17 this year.
Despite having been in hiding for so long, Hsiao has apparently also become involved unwittingly in a political war of words between Premier Vincent Siew (
Hsiao has hinted that the premier is closely connected to "gangster forces," among whom Hsiao's family is allegedly included.
Hsiao also claimed that he and Liao -- both from Chiayi -- were once good friends, and had regularly frequented hostess bars during Liao's tenure in the Executive Yuan, and that Liao had targeted him in the anti-gangster crackdown as a political move.
Liao said Hsiao's family dominated local politics in Chiayi and stood in the way of the political ambitions of Liao's family members.
Hsiao was indicted on blackmail in connection with events dating back to 1990, when he allegedly abetted subordinates who vandalized several construction sites, and then later volunteered to mediate between disputing parties. Hsiao then allegedly took NT$3 million out of a NT$10 million settlement fee agreed to by the parties.
In February 1993, Hsiao is said to have conspired with 11 officials to bribe 50 others employed at the Taipao city (
Hsiao was also indicted for violations of personal liberties involving an alleged kidnapping in 1993 of a Taipao representative who opposed a land deal backed by Hsiao.
The breach of trust charge against Hsiao stems from a credit co-op loan scam in June 1993 allegedly involving Hsiao and six other officials from the Shuishang village (
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS