Former New Taipei City deputy mayor Hsu Chih-chien (許志堅) was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison by the Taipei District Court yesterday, while six other defendants were convicted of related charges.
The ruling can be appealed.
Hsu, a protege of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), was convicted of taking bribes totaling NT$7.58 million (US$244,658 at the current exchange rate) in cash and gifts from construction firms between May 2011 and July 2015.
Photo: CNA
Hsu used his position as deputy mayor and chairman of the city’s urban renewal projects review committee and urban planning committee to facilitate bids by contractors who bribed him, the court said.
He was sentenced to 10 years for accepting bribes and five months for breaching the Business Entity Accounting Act (商業會計法), although the latter sentence can be commuted to a fine, the court said.
Le Young Construction (樂揚建設) president Tsou Hsueh-e (鄒雪娥) was convicted of bribing Hsu and sentenced to six months in prison, a term commutable to a fine.
Hung Sheng Development Co (宏盛開發) owner Chou Li-hui (周麗惠) pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain and received a reduced sentence, including eight months in prison for bribery; four months for breaching the Business Entity Accounting Act, which is commutable to a fine; and a fine of NT$5 million.
Chou gave Hsu NT$652 million in cash, three luxury watches, several gold bars and made regular payments to members of Hsu’s family disguised as salaries, as well as providing money for a dowry for Hsu’s daughter and financial contributions to his father, the court said.
Real-estate agent Tsai Che-yi (蔡哲義) and Hung Sheng Development accountant Chou Chia-hsuan (周佳萱) were each sentenced to four months, commutable to fines.
Hsu’s son Hsu Shih-yun (許士耘) and his brother, Hsu Chih-yuan (許志遠), were found guilty of receiving payments from Chou, and they were each sentenced to four months — commutable to fines — for contravening the Business Entity Accounting Act, the court said.
Baosing Construction Co (寶興建設) supervisor Kuo Chao-hsiang (郭兆祥), who prosecutors have accused of using Chou as a go-between to bribe Hsu Chih-chien, was not mentioned in the verdict.
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