The Tainan District Court on Wednesday sentenced former Tainan Economic Development Bureau director-general Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌) to eight years in prison and deprived his civil rights for five years on multiple counts of corruption, property fraud and money laundering.
The ruling can be appealed.
The former Democratic Progressive Party member was taken into custody on Dec. 22 last year on allegations of property crimes, forging documents and accepting bribes in the form of cash, banquets and sex.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
He denied the first allegation while admitting to the latter two.
The day before, investigators had seized NT$200,000, leather bags containing NT$100,000, business cards and other evidence from Chen’s residence.
He was repeatedly denied bail on concerns he might flee or tamper with evidence.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
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