Controversial ex-Transport Minister Kuo Yao-chi dead at 69

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Former Minister of Transportation and Communications Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), who was sentenced to eight years in prison for taking bribes from contractors, has died aged 69, according to sources.

The sources said Kuo was rushed to Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment due to a life-threatening aortic dissection on Sunday and was pronounced dead around 11 a.m. on Monday.

The hospital declined to disclose any information about Kuo's disease, citing patient privacy.

Kuo was transport minister between January and August 2006, during which time she oversaw the official opening of the 12.94-kilometer Hsuehshan Tunnel, the longest in Taiwan.

In April 2011, the Democratic Progressive Party politician was found guilty by the Taiwan High Court of accepting US$20,000 in bribes while serving as transport minister from the Nan Ren Hu Group, a service industry conglomerate.

The Supreme Court upheld Kuo's conviction in December 2013 and she began serving an eight-year prison sentence the following month.

The Ministry of Justice approved Kuo's release on medical parole in January 2016 after she was diagnosed with cancer.