The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Independent Legislator Yen Ching-piao (
"The court did not discover any relevant evidence, presented by prosecutors, to prove Yen guilty," the court said in its verdict, which upheld a verdict by the Taiwan High Court's Taichung Branch.
"It is finally over," Yen said.
"Ever since the beginning, the first trial, I have been found innocent for four times. I cannot remember how many times I have attended hearings at a court but finally I don't have to do that anymore," he said.
Nine years ago, Yen, then a Tai-chung County councilor, was campaigning for the council speakership election and was accused of trying to bribe fellow councilor Yeh Shih-tou (葉石頭) with NT$2 million to win his support in the election.
In the first trial at the Taichung District Court in 1994, both Yen and Yeh were found guilty and each sentenced to one year in prison.
Both men appealed the verdict and the Taiwan High Court's Taichung Branch rejected the district court's verdict and found them both innocent.
Taichung prosecutors made two appeals to the Supreme Court but that court upheld the high court's verdict both times.
However, during the third retrial, the high court decided to uphold the district court's verdict -- ? a one-year sentence for each defendant. Yen then decided to appeal for the fourth time.
On Sept. 3 last year, after the fourth re-trial, the high court ruled that Yen and Yeh were innocent.
Prosecutors, however, filed another appeal.
Yesterday's verdict was the result of the fifth appeal -- the final round of legal appeals in the case.
Yen's legal troubles, however, are not over.
He has been convicted of corruption, attempted murder, possession of illegal firearms and attempting to pervert the course of justice. In Jan. 2 last year the Taiwan High Court's Taichung Branch sentenced him to 11 years and six months in jail on those charges but the verdict is under appeal to the Supreme Court.
In addition to his brushes with the law, Yen also gained notoriety for being the first person to run an election campaign -- and win -- while behind bars.
While under detention on the vote-buying case, Yen entered the 2001 legislative election as an independent candidate in Taichung County.
Yen won about 34,000 votes. He became a lawmaker after he was released on NT$5 million bail on Jan. 2 last year -- the same day he was sentenced to prison on the corruption, attempted murder and firearms charges.
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