Suspended Hsinchu Mayor to return to post Thursday

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Kao Hung-an (高虹安), the suspended Hsinchu Mayor, said Wednesday she will return to her post Thursday after the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) approved her application for reinstatement following a high court ruling overturning a corruption conviction.

Speaking with CNA, Kao said Hsinchu City Government received a letter from the MOI approving her reinstatement application earlier Wednesday so she will report to work Thursday morning to resume her duties as Hsinchu City Mayor and fulfill her pledge to serve the citizens of the city.

Kao made the comments after the MOI confirmed earlier Wednesday that the application for reinstatement has been approved by Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳).

Hsinchu City government filed the application for reinstatement soon after a high court ruling on Tuesday overturned Kao's corruption conviction but imposed a six-month sentence for causing public officials to make false entries in official records in a case involving assistant fees during her tenure as a legislator.

The six-month prison sentence can be converted into a fine and appealed, according to the high court.

Kao was sentenced by Taipei District Court in July 2024 to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for violating the Anti-Corruption Act and Criminal Code, a ruling that led to her suspension.

The district court found that Kao, who served as a Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker from Feb. 1, 2020 to Dec. 25, 2022, inflated assistant salaries and overtime pay claims, obtaining NT$116,514 (US$3,696) in illicit gains.

However, the high court had a different opinion, saying based on the legislative history of the Legislative Yuan Organization Act, legislative assistant expenses are substantively a form of subsidy that allows flexible allocation.

As Kao separately hired two additional assistants beyond the disposable NT$110,000, the high court found that she lacked the criminal intent to commit corruption.

Under the Local Government Act, a county magistrate or city mayor who is suspended after being convicted at a trial of first instance of corruption-related offenses may be reinstated if the conviction is overturned on appeal before the end of the term.

Kao, who withdrew from the TPP in July after the district court's verdict, said earlier in the day that she has not discussed with the party her return yet, as the current priority is to resume her duties as Hsinchu Mayor as soon as possible.

When asked how she felt after the high court decision, Kao said she has not received a court document detailing the ruling, adding that she hopes the public will not discuss the ruling until the court document is received and respect the decision.

After Kao was suspended, her deputy Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) took over as acting mayor.

Kao also survived a July 26 recall vote initiated by civil groups and supported by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.