Builders and government officials were given reduced sentences yesterday by the Taiwan High Court, partially reversing a lower court decision finding them responsible for the death of 28 residents at the Lincoln Mansions disaster in Taipei County.
Residents of the ill-fated buildings, who have fought for compensation since the disaster in 1997, called the ruling "incredible," and challenged the court's rulings.
"It's such an obvious and outrageous example of corruption links between the contractors and the officials. How could the court take it so lightly?" said Chou Chih-chuan (
FILE PHOTO
"Throughout the process of negotiations, we residents have been disappointed by the irresponsible attitude of the builders and the government agencies. A lot of the residents have felt so hopeless that they're on the verge of killing themselves," Chou said.
"People say the disadvantaged can have their rights protected in court. But I doubt it really," Chou said.
The Lincoln Mansions was a housing complex with over 1,000 units in Hsichih, Taipei County. Built on hillside land, the complex suffered mass damage after rain from a typhoon caused the collapse of a retaining wall behind the complex.
Twenty-eight people were killed by the collapse of several buildings and over 300 units were destroyed in the disaster. Residents of other units subsequently moved out of the complex when serious construction faults were found in the buildings after the accident.
An investigation by the prosecution found that the contractors and the designers of the complex were responsible for the accident.
Also, the investigation identified 13 Taipei County Government officials who forged documents confirming building standards in the licensing process.
The Shihlin District Court convicted 18 defendants -- five builders, one designer and twelve officials -- in 1998, while acquitting a defendant who was an official. Sentences ranged from two to 10 years prison terms.
However, the High Court reversed the lower court decision yesterday, reducing sentences for most of those convicted in the construction fault case.
The contractor for the complex, Lee Tsung-hsien (李宗賢), who was originally sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail, had his sentence reduced to four years and five months by the High Court yesterday.
The jail sentence for the designer of the residences, Lu Chung-yao (盧正堯) was reduced to eight years and six months from the original nine years and 10 months.
Moreover, the High Court found not guilty eight of the 12 previously convicted officials on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Sentences for the other guilty officials ranged from five years to seven years in jail.
Lee, the number one target of the residents' legal actions, was found guilty by the district court under charges of profiteering, falsification of documents and professional manslaughter.
However, the High Court cited a supreme court precedent in quashing Lee's profiteering charge, suggesting the charge can only be used against public servants.
An addition to the criminal proceedings, the Lincoln Mansions residents have filed civil suits against the builders and also filed requests for state compensation.
Negotiations have also continued between representatives of the residents, the builders, and the government, with meetings taking place every month.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
A bipartisan group of US representatives have introduced a draft US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership bill, aimed at accelerating defense technology collaboration between Taiwan and the US in response to ongoing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was introduced by US representatives Zach Nunn and Jill Tokuda, with US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar and US Representative Ashley Hinson joining as original cosponsors, a news release issued by Tokuda’s office on Thursday said. The draft bill “directs the US Department of Defense to work directly with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense through their respective
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA