The Shilin District Court today handed a trash collector surnamed Huang (黃) a three-month suspended sentence for giving a discarded rice cooker to an elderly woman who scavenges garbage for a living.
The sentence is suspended for two years, meaning Huang would not have to serve jail time if he meets the court’s conditions over the period.
The ruling may also be appealed.
Photo: Taipei Times
As an employee of the trash collecting unit in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), Huang is responsible for household garbage collection as well as dismantling and sorting recyclables, the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said in its indictment.
On July 26 last year, Huang took home a discarded rice cooker valued at NT$32.56, prosecutors said.
After confirming that the rice cooker still worked, Huang gave it to a woman in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) the next day, they said.
Huang later turned himself in to the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption.
After an investigation, prosecutors in June charged Huang with breaching Article 6 of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) by “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.
However, prosecutors asked the court for a lenient sentence, saying that Huang had turned himself in, admitted to his offense and returned the proceeds from it, and because his offense was very minor.
Huang’s sentence should be reduced according to self-surrendering and confession provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act, and as the value he obtained was less than NT$50,000, prosecutors said.
The case sparked public outcry, with many saying he had good intentions, but was accused of seeking personal gain, while others expressed concern over the fairness of the justice system.
The Taipei Department of Environmental Protection said that Huang is a long-time employee who values personal relationships and simply wanted to help a vulnerable person.
Huang used his own money to buy a new rice cooker to replace the one he originally gave to the woman, the department said, adding that he had no mal intent.
Following hearings on the case in September, Huang said he only wanted to help an elderly woman who collects recyclables by giving her a usable appliance so she could cook for herself, but never imagined it would become such a serious matter.
The Ministry of Justice in September said that it had proposed an amendment allowing those with “minor corruption offenses” to apply for a reduced term or suspended sentence, aiming to align legal outcomes with social expectations of fairness and justice.
The High Prosecutors’ Office said that when prosecutors investigate corruption cases, they should be empathetic and make decisions that are fair, measured and aligned with public sentiment.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-tung, Tsai Kai-cheng and Jason Pan
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