A former Ministry of Labor official, fired for workplace bullying and charged with corruption, was on Tuesday ordered released from prison on NT$1 million (US$30,576) bail.
Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) is prohibited from leaving the country and is required to reside at her current residence or a designated location while wearing an electronic monitoring device, the New Taipei City District Court said.
Hsieh, who has been detained and held incommunicado since December last year, was on Wednesday last week indicted by the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office on embezzlement and profiteering charges under the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), and for making unauthorized disclosures as a public official.
Prosecutors had sought to extend Hsieh’s detention, saying that she could try to flee the country, but the court denied the request, saying that the investigation was finished and Hsieh had admitted to her crimes.
Hsieh wept throughout the court proceedings.
According to her indictment, Hsieh leaked official information, steered government contracts to favored companies and used government funds to purchase holiday gift boxes for personal use while head of the New Taipei City office of the Workforce Development Agency in 2023 and last year.
The investigation of Hsieh for corruption followed the suicide of a 39-year-old civil servant from the agency, who allegedly killed themself due to workplace bullying by Hsieh, resulting in her dismissal on Nov. 20 last year.
The civil servant’s death, as well as widespread criticism of the Ministry of Labor’s handling of the matter, sparked public outrage that resulted in the resignation of then-minister of labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) on Nov. 21.
Although prosecutors initially investigated Hsieh for negligent homicide, they declined to press charges, concluding that there was “no legal causation” between the civil servant’s suicide and Hsieh’s management style.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS