The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) to 16 years in prison for corruption and embezzlement.
His wife, Hsu Hui-yu (徐慧諭), was also found guilty of similar charges and sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
Chen and Hsu were also deprived of their civil rights for six years and three years respectively, the court said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The rulings can be appealed.
Chen, Hsu and 14 others were indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in August last year on corruption and embezzlement charges, with prosecutors seeking a combined 24-year, two-month sentence for Chen.
Prosecutors said Chen, who served as a lawmaker from 2012 to 2024, accepted bribes from United Logistics International Co between January 2016 and July 2023, making NT$4.63 million (US$146,103) in illicit gains.
In return, he used his legislative position to convene meetings, question government officials and propose legislation to the benefit of the company, prosecutors said.
He also took other bribes, including a NT$500,000 payoff disguised as a donation from the chairperson of the Rentcar Quality Assurance Association to suspend a regulation governing the motor transportation industry in September 2018, the court found.
In a separate scheme, Chen was accused of inflating the salaries of multiple publicly funded assistants between February 2012 and November 2022, resulting in illicit gains of more than NT$4.11 million, the court ruling said.
The funds were allegedly used as office allowances or as directed by Chen and Hsu.
The court said Chen coveted illicit gains while holding office and undermined official ethics.
It also said that the defendant only admitted to fraudulently inflating assistant salaries and turned in the illicit gains, but denied all other charges.
The court sentenced him to nine years and six months in prison for taking bribes from United Logistics, another eight years for taking bribes from the motor transportation industry and others, and a total of 11 years and four months for abusing aides’ salaries.
The court then combined the offenses into a total prison term of 16 years.
Prosecutors said they would decide whether to appeal after receiving the written judgement.
As of press time last night, neither Chen nor his representatives had commented on the ruling.
Chiu Chun-yen (邱駿彥), head of the DPP’s Clean Governance Committee, said that the body would review the case at a meeting on Wednesday next week.
Chen could face disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to expulsion from the party, Chiu said.
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