The Kaohsiung branch of the Taiwan High Court on Tuesday upheld a guilty verdict in a police corruption case, in which six senior and junior officers were found to have received bribes from operators of underground gambling dens.
It was the second ruling on the case, which can be appealed to higher courts.
The court upheld the original ruling, which determined that the defendants had violated the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
Investigators found that the proprietors of electronic game parlors, unlicensed casinos and other types of illegal betting and gambling businesses in Kaohsiung had paid regular bribes to police in exchange for “favorable protection,” advanced notice on raids and other information.
Police began taking bribes in August 2012 and stopped in October last year, when the judiciary began investigating the case after receiving tip-offs, prosecutors said.
Evidence indicates that retired police sergeant Wang Hung-wen (王宏文) was the principle figure, having received 39 bribes throughout the period for a total of NT$1.6 million (US$53,024).
Wang received the harshest sentence in yesterday’s ruling of 18 years and six months in prison.
Another senior officer, detective Lu Chun-kuan (呂俊寬), received a 13-year term, while officers Chuang Wen-ping (莊文平) and Hsu Ho-sheng (許和勝) were handed terms of 14 years and two months and eight years respectively.
Investigators said that Gangshan District (岡山) station chief Tsai Sheng-jung (蔡勝榮) was the person who contacted parlor operators and distributed the bribe money he collected to officials involved in the scheme.
Tsai, who has since retired, received a 10-month term in yesterday’s ruling.
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