Prosecutors yesterday indicted former Tainan City Council speaker Kuo Hsin-liang (郭信良) for allegedly extorting and receiving NT$13 million (US$407,587) in bribes from an engineering consultancy.
Kuo, 60, who is a city councilor in Tainan, and Kao Chin-chien (高進見), a borough warden, were in May linked to an investigation of the consultancy for allegedly interfering in a zoning project.
On July 7, Tainan prosecutors questioned more than 10 people and received permission to detain Kuo for allegedly extorting and receiving more than NT$13 million in bribes from the company in 2021 under the guise of a settlement agreement.
Photo: CNA
Kuo, who has denied wrongdoing, was released on bail of NT$300,000, while Kao and four others were released on bail of NT$50,000.
The remaining suspects, including the head of the engineering firm, surnamed Liao (廖), were released without bail.
In addition to filing corruption charges against Kuo and Kao, prosecutors also indicted Kao’s defense lawyer for allegedly obstructing the investigation by photographing and sharing interrogation transcripts, as well as Liao, for allegedly bribing public officials, and four others for alleged perjury.
Kuo was a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when he served as deputy speaker from 2010 to 2018 and acting speaker for two months in 2016, before he left the party in 2018 to make a successful run for the speakership as an independent.
After being re-elected to a seventh term on the city council in December last year, Kuo sought to retain the speakership, but lost to the DPP’s Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉).
Chiu was herself indicted in March for allegedly bribing councilors in the speakership election.
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