A former official of the Taipei Mortuary Services Office and a technician on Thursday were found guilty of bribery and collusion by the Taipei District Court.
The court handed former Burial and Cemetery Management Section chief Ou Yang Keng-sheng (歐陽更生) a 14-month sentence, and section technician Sun Pei-jen (孫佩仁) 16 months for forgery and abuse of authority for personal profit.
They were among more than a dozen mortuary staff who were investigated and indicted in July following a judicial probe into allegations of bribery and corruption at the Taipei City Government office.
Photo: Chien Li-chung, Taipei Times
Six other staff and technicians, plus seven contractors, have yet to be sentenced following an indictment in July for accepting bribes since 2019.
Among those investigated were Taipei Mortuary Services Office deputy director Wang Wen-hsiu (王文秀), who prosecutors allege took bribes from companies that conducted business at Taipei’s two public funeral parlors. She was placed in judicial detention yesterday.
Prosecutors said that Wang in 2020 and last year accepted bribes amounting to several million New Taiwan dollars in return for leaking government tender details to several bidding contractors.
Prosecutors said that Wang allegedly helped the companies win bids for constructing the mortuary office’s Life Memorial Hall and expanding a parking lot at the Taipei City Second Funeral Parlor, among other projects.
While investigating officials and technicians earlier this year, prosecutors said they discovered communication between Wang and bidders that allegedly showed collusion.
Seven people were detained for questioning on Tuesday.
The Taipei Mortuary Services Office oversees the city’s two public funeral parlors, providing burial and cremation services, in addition to administering facilities and regulating the funeral industry.
The investigation follows other scandals and public complaints regarding the mortuary offices in Taipei and other regions.
Rival companies have reportedly fought for territory, at times involving firearms incidents.
Kuo Hsien-hung (郭憲鴻), a well-known industry figure, once said that many funeral businesses in Taiwan are run by criminal organizations.
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