Taipei City councilor receives 9-year sentence for corruption

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Taipei City Councilor Chen Chung-wen (陳重文) was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of illegally obtaining over NT$3.70 million (US$112,588) for himself and a business partner through a public project.

According to the Taipei District Court ruling, Chen was given nine years in prison for corruption and a range of other offenses related to his involvement in a city government procurement project.

Six months of that sentence could be commuted to a fine of approximately NT$180,000, however, the ruling said.

Chen, who has served as a city councilor from Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang since December 2014, said later Friday he would discuss the issue with his attorney before deciding whether to appeal the court's decision.

In its ruling, the court found Chen had used his position to pressure Taipei City's Department of Social Welfare and Taiwan Intelligent Fiber Optic Network Consortium (Taifo) on multiple occasions last year.

Because of that pressure, the court said, the social welfare department awarded a contract for the installation of cloud-based CCTV systems across the city's public nursing care centers to Taifo.

Taifo then subcontracted the project to a company Chen set up with his business partner Kang Li-chi (康立錡) in July 2023, the ruling said, before passing the project to Kang's own company, Vqorder Co.

Through these dealings, Chen made nearly NT$3.09 million in illegal gains, and Kang made NT$610,845, the ruling said.

In pressuring the social welfare department for his own benefit, Chen violated a provision in Article 6 of the Anti-Corruption Act, according to the court.

The provision mandates a sentence of at least five years for "using the opportunity provided by one's position or status for unlawful gains for oneself or for others in matters under his or her charge or supervision while clearly knowing the act violates the law."

Chen was also convicted of falsely inflating the capital of the company he co-founded with Kang as well as his other company.

Chen's wife Pai Hui-ping (白惠萍), who had managed his finances, was given a one-year sentence, suspended for two years, for her involvement in the case.

Her sentence could be commuted to a fine, but she was ordered to pay an additional NT$200,000 to the public treasury.

Kang, for his part, received a 3-year suspended sentence and was ordered to pay NT$300,000 to the public treasury and complete 100 hours of community service.

Chen and the others were indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on July 19, with the 47-year-old city councilor charged with seeking illegal gains, forging documents, and embezzlement, among other offenses.

Prosecutors at that time called for heavy punishment for Chen, citing in particular his repeatedly requesting documents from the social welfare department and questioning the department's officials during city council meetings, among other means of exerting pressure.