High court upholds suspended sentence for former envoy to Nigeria

Taipei, May 1 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Thursday upheld the suspended sentence handed down to a former Taiwanese diplomat stationed in Nigeria, following his conviction for embezzling public funds.

The high court said it found no flaws in the verdict handed down to Yang Wen-sheng (楊文昇) by the Taipei District Court.

Yang previously served as head of Taiwan's representative office in Nigeria from July 2018 to September 2020.

In that position, he was accused of misusing his representation allowance to cover personal expenses, including family meals and groceries, totaling US$483.36, according to the indictment.

The diplomat was subsequently indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for suspected contraventions of the Anti-Corruption Act and the Criminal Code related to falsifying documents.

Citing his admission of guilt and return of the illicit gains, prosecutors recommended leniency as the money embezzled was less than NT$50,000 (US$1,559).

In October 2024, the district court handed Yang a prison sentence of 24 months and deprivation of civil rights for one year, both suspended for five years. It also ordered him to undertake 150 hours of community service, with probationary supervision for the five year period.

The former diplomat subsequently appealed the ruling, but his appeal was rejected on Thursday by the high court, which deemed it without merit, stating that as an envoy stationed abroad, he betrayed the trust bestowed on him by the government and exploited his position for personal gain.

However, the ruling can still be appealed.