Chinese Councillor Chen Tsui-luan's prison sentence upheld by Taiwan's SC

Former Kaohsiung city councilor Chen Tsui-luan of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will serve a 10-year, five-month prison term after the Supreme Court upheld her corruption conviction on Monday, Taipei Times reported.

Chen was found guilty of unlawfully pocketing NTD 4.49 million ($138,409) in government funds through fraudulent travel subsidy claims dating back to 2013.

Investigators revealed that Chen forged receipts to secure travel subsidies by falsely claiming official work trips as a councillor, while instead using the funds to take family vacations. Her prison sentence began in August 2018, but she continued to orchestrate corrupt activities from behind bars.

An investigation uncovered that Chen conspired with her son, Cheng Chia-hong, and councillor office director Wang Mei-chu to submit fake employee lists for her daughter Cheng An-li's councillor office. Monthly wages for these fictitious assistants were siphoned off over several years.

While Cheng Chia-hong received a 16-month prison term, it was later suspended. Wang, however, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, reported Taipei Times.

Separately, in Penghu County, interim mayor Cheng Chao-chung was sworn in on Monday following the detention of Wanan Township Mayor Hsu Te-hsien on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that Hsu misappropriated government subsidies meant for local residents, falsified accounting reports, and accepted bribes to secure employment positions on the township's sanitation team.

Last week, Hsu's office was searched by prosecutors, and a judge subsequently approved a request for his pre-trial detention, citing a high risk of evidence tampering and flight.

Meanwhile, in Miaoli County, former Tongshiao Township mayor Chen Han-chih was indicted on Monday alongside eight accomplices for bribery and corruption involving 13 local government projects. Chen, an independent, allegedly solicited bribes ranging from 10 to 15 per cent of project budgets, which covered roadwork, sewer construction, flood-control initiatives, and landslide prevention efforts, Taipei Times reported.

Prosecutors also noted that in a previous case, Chen was convicted of taking NTD 1.07 million in bribes related to a solar panel farm project and received a five-year prison term.

These cases underscore the ongoing challenge of addressing corruption in local governance, with officials from multiple townships facing scrutiny for misusing public funds and engaging in bribery schemes.