Construction supervisor sentenced to 58 months over Dazhi building collapse

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) The Taipei District Court on Wednesday sentenced the construction site supervisor of the Kee Tai Properties project to four years and 10 months in prison over the 2023 collapse of a neighboring residential building in Dazhi District, Taipei.

Prosecutors found that Chang Po-hsiang (張博翔) failed to follow construction plans and procedures, while also repeatedly altering monitoring data to avoid disputes over damage to neighboring properties.

According to the court's ruling, project manager Chiu Cheng-hung (邱丞鴻) was sentenced to two years and eight months, while Kee Tai employee Chiang Jo-yen (姜若彥) received an eight-month sentence.

Supervising architect Wang Te-sheng (王德生) was sentenced to one year, suspended for two years, and technician Liu Feng-shou (劉豐壽) received a 10-month sentence.

The rulings can be appealed.

The case stemmed from Sept. 7, 2023, when excavation work at the Kee Tai Dazhi construction site caused a neighboring residential building to sink and several nearby buildings to tilt, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate and relocate temporarily.

The prosecution said that Chiu and Chang ignored warnings from the site's monitoring system and continued excavation work. Meanwhile, Liu and Wang failed to properly carry out inspection and supervision duties, rendering the project's safety review mechanisms ineffective.

The five defendants were indicted in April 2024 on charges including violations involving construction practices. Prosecutors had alleged that the defendants' actions contributed to the incident and sought prison sentences for those responsible.