Hsinchu Mayor Kao back in office after 17-month suspension

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) returned to work on Thursday, two days after the Taiwan High Court acquitted her of corruption charges, in a case that had resulted in her suspension from her mayoral post for one year and five months.

Kao arrived at the Hsinchu City government office at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, surrounded by supporters and senior city government officials.

"I am back," she said, adding that the 17-month suspension felt like a century.

She commended the city government team for continuing to serve the public during her absence, and she pledged to work closely with the team to improve the lives of Hsinchu residents.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) approved the city government's application for Kao's reinstatement, clearing the way for her return to office after her 17-month suspension. During her absence, Deputy Mayor Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) served as acting mayor.

The approval was granted one day after the Taiwan High Court overturned a lower court's conviction of Kao on corruption charges.

The high court, however, issued a guilty verdict against Kao on charges related to falsification of official records in a case involving assistant fees during her tenure as a legislator. The six-month prison sentence imposed on Kao for that offense can be commuted to a fine and is subject to appeal, according to the High Court.

• Suspended Hsinchu Mayor to return to post Thursday

Kao was suspended from her mayoral post in July 2024 after the Taipei District Court sentenced her to seven years and four months in prison, and a four-year deprivation of civil rights, on corruption charges.

The district court ruled that Kao, who served as a lawmaker of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) from February 2020 to December 2022, had inflated assistant salaries and overtime claims, which allowed her to obtain NT$116,514 (US$3,696) illegally.

In its ruling on Tuesday, however, the high court said that legislative assistant expenses are effectively subsidies that allow flexible allocation, based on the Legislative Yuan Organization Act.

Kao's reinstatement as Hsinchu mayor was approved under the Local Government Act, which states that a county magistrate or city mayor may be reinstated in the case of a first-time conviction that is overturned before the end of their term.

In July, Kao withdrew from the TPP and survived a recall vote that was initiated by civic groups and backed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. On Wednesday, she said that she had not yet decided whether to seek to rejoin the TPP.