The corruption trial of former Taoyuan county deputy commissioner Yeh Shi-wen (葉世文) wrapped up yesterday with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office asking for a 61-year prison sentence and a fine of NT$30 million (US$946,800).
Prosecutors asked for a nine-year term and NT$500,000 fine for Yeh’s alleged accomplice, Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄), who was indicted on bribery-related charges.
The Taipei District Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on March 20.
Photo: CNA
Yeh and Chao’s fellow defendants are former National Taipei University of Technology professor Tsai Jen-jui (蔡仁惠), former Farglory vice president Wei Chun-hsiung (魏春雄) and a female friend of Yeh’s, Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲), who were charged with bribery and corruption.
The trial centered on several developments in the now Greater Taoyuan — some affordable housing projects in Bade (八德), an affordable housing project next to the A7 MRT station of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the Danhai New Town project.
Yeh also faced a charge of unverifiable sources of income, as amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) in 2011 stipulated that civil servants, their spouses and children had legal responsibility to explain in full if their assets or wealth saw an unreasonable increase, when compared with their income, within three years of being suspected of violating the act.
Photo: CNA
Failure to provide an explanation or speak the truth is punishable by up to five years in prison, or a fine.
During the trial, Yeh had admitted accepting bribes in connection with the Bade projects and to having unverifiable income, but denied the other charges.
Yeh said that he took the bribes for the A7 project after Tsai, the alleged go-between, brought him NT$4 million, but he said that he had not asked for the money.
He said he regretted taking NT$16 million linked to the Bade project and asked the court to hand down a light sentence, adding that he hoped to be allowed to post bail so he could return home for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Chao has denied all charges against him and said that he was the “victim” in the case.
His lawyer criticized Tsai, who appeared as a state witness in court, and said Tsai’s confession and testimony were paradoxical and illogical, adding that Chao had been afraid of getting on Yeh’s bad side and was forced to give Yeh money.
Tsai said he had only acted as an intermediary, transferring money between all the parties. He said that after being detained last year, he had decided to admit his crimes and tell the truth.
Tsai’s lawyer, Fu Tzu-sheng (傅祖聲), said that his client, who was educated in the University of Tokyo and holds a doctorate in architecture from a US university, was the only defendant with a higher education and that Farglory’s many “green” buildings owed a debt to Tsai’s contributions.
Tsai was like an artist and his emotions often won over his rational side, Fu said, adding that his client did not have a clear grasp of time, which led to differing accounts of time in his testimony.
Fu said he hoped that the other defense attorneys in the trial case would not seek to trample Tsai’s integrity and character in their efforts to prove the innocence of their own clients.
Wei and Chen have denied all charges against them.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College