Former Cabinet spokesperson found not guilty of bribery by court

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) Former Cabinet spokesperson Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who resigned after being accused of accepting sexual favors, was found not guilty of bribery by the Tainan District Court on Thursday.

The court issued the ruling due to insufficient evidence, with prosecutors unable to prove that Chen violated the Anti-Corruption Act. Two nightclub operators involved in the case, surnamed Lien (連) and Wang (王), were also found not guilty for the same reason.

In its verdict, the court noted that prosecutors failed to establish that the individual referred to as "Chair Chen" (陳董) in the recorded surveillance file was in fact Chen Tsung-yen.

The case originally surfaced in 2013, when Tainan prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged illegal conduct by Wang. During the probe, Wang was suspected of bribing officials, including Chen, who at the time served as director of the Tainan Civil Affairs Bureau and director-general of the city's Information and International Relations Department.

However, in April 2014, the case was referred for separate handling due to a lack of specific evidence, and the follow-up investigation was later ended without charges, as no bribery could be substantiated.

In early 2023, a new complaint revived the case, prompting Chen to resign from his Cabinet post after only 18 days in office.

Prosecutors indicted Chen on August 15, 2024, seeking a heavy sentence on the grounds that he showed little remorse.

According to the evidence presented in the case, Chen allegedly had sex with three women who used pseudonyms on 16 occasions, involving 10 payments of NT$12,000 (US$397.60) and two instances when sex was exchanged for gifts. The remaining four instances could not be confirmed.

However, prosecutors acknowledged that, due to the decade-long time gap, they were unable to locate or summon the three women to testify.

The verdict can still be appealed.