Justice officials have proposed amending the law on minor graft offenses to grant deferred prosecution or more lenient sentences, after people criticized public prosecutors for pressing charges against a trash collector who gave a rice cooker he found discarded to an elderly woman.
Much of the public anger was directed at the Taipei Shilin Prosecutors’ Office, who charged a trash collector surnamed Huang (黃) with corruption, saying he misappropriated an old, used rice cooker when he gave it to an elderly woman who scavenges garbage for a living.
Recyclers estimated that the rice cooker only had a remaining monetary value of NT$32.
Photo: Taipei Times
Huang in July found a rice cooker while collecting trash, which he took home. As it still worked, he gave it to the woman so she could use it to prepare meals.
After an investigation, Shilin prosecutors last week charged Huang with breaching Article 6 of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), or “stealing or misappropriating private property or equipment that is in his or her possession due to official position but not for official use,” as trash collectors are city employees.
Prosecutors asked the court for a lenient sentence, as Huang admitted to giving the woman the rice cooker and his offense was deemed to be very minor.
Ministry of Justice officials on Saturday issued a statement saying that they were aware of the case and are open to feedback from all sectors, adding that they had proposed an amendment where those with “minor corruption offenses” could apply for a reduced term or suspended sentence.
The ministry said it has also begun examining legal scopes and procedures to better define the criteria for a deferred prosecution, so prosecutors could have more flexibility when assessing cases.
Meanwhile, Cho Hsin-chen (卓昕岑), who is in charge of Huang’s trash collection unit in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), said that the regulation against taking recyclable materials during trash collection for personal use is well known and had been drilled into all personnel.
Cho said he also gave Huang one demerit.
Huang has been a model employee for more than 30 years and was known as a serious worker, not contravening rules nor engaging in unlawful activities, he said, adding that Huang later felt remorse for his actions.
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