On-the-run CPC executive gets 25 years, whereabouts still unknown

Kaohsiung, March 23 (CNA) Hsu Han (徐漢), a former executive at state-run oil supplier CPC Corp., Taiwan, who has been missing since removing his ankle monitor last week, was sentenced Monday by a district court in Kaohsiung to 25 years in prison for 11 corruption-related offenses.

According to the Ciaotou District Court, Hsu, in his mid-60s, rose through the ranks at CPC over more than 40 years, from an entry-level employee to an executive, but accepted bribes from contractors.

He was found to have received NT$16.86 million (US$526,875) in bribes and held an additional NT$4.73 million in assets for which he failed to explain the sources, the court said in a press statement.

The court said Hsu used his influence to steer procurement decisions, seriously damaging the reputation of public servants and affecting market fairness. He received prison terms ranging from 18 months to 14 years for the 11 counts, with the court ordering a combined sentence of 25 years.

Hsu became chief executive of CPC's refinery division in Kaohsiung's Nanzih District in 2019.

In January 2022, Ciaotou prosecutors and officials from the Agency Against Corruption searched Hsu's office and seized NT$27.1 million in cash.

Prosecutors said Hsu allegedly used his NT$200 million procurement authority to steer eight purchasing contracts worth nearly NT$1 billion to selected companies, which in turn paid him NT$16.86 million in bribes.

In May 2022, prosecutors indicted Hsu and 20 others from three companies for violations of the Anti-Corruption Act and related offenses. Hsu was detained in January 2022 before being released on NT$5 million bail and barred from changing his residence or leaving the country. In May 2025, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor.

On March 19, the judicial electronic monitoring center found Hsu's broken ankle monitor abandoned in Wanluan Township. The Ciaotou court issued an arrest order, but efforts to locate him were unsuccessful.

On March 20, the court requested Hsu's guarantor to bring him to court, but that effort also failed. Believing Hsu had fled and was in hiding, the court ordered the forfeiture of his NT$5 million bail and placed him on a wanted list.

The court had previously scheduled to issue its ruling on Jan. 30 but delayed the decision until Monday due to the complexity of the case and the need for additional time to prepare court documents.

Hsu was also deprived of civil rights for nine years, with the ruling subject to appeal. Other defendants in the case received sentences ranging from seven months to 102 months on Monday.

As Hsu failed to appear in court on Monday, prosecutors are expected to pursue additional charges for escaping.