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Judges guilty on
bribery charges
FOXES IN HENHOUSE? One case involved taking
bribes from a former KMT legislator accused of graft, while the second involved
bribes from a former judge
By Rich Chang / Staff reporter
Four former High Court judges in two separate cases were yesterday handed
lengthy prison sentences by the High Court for taking bribes.
The court gave 20 year prison terms to former High Court judge Tsai Kuang-chih
(蔡光治), along with a NT$3.5 million (US$110,000) fine; 18 years to former High
Court judge Chen Jung-ho (陳榮和), with a NT$3 million fine; 11 years and six
months to former High Court judge Lee Chun-ti (李春地), with a NT$1 million fine
and 10 years; and six months to former High Court judge Fang A-sheng (房阿生), also
with a NT$1 million fine.
Former Banciao prosecutor Chiu Mao-jung (邱茂榮), meanwhile, was sentenced to six
years imprisonment, with a fine of NT$2.7 million.
The defendants have the option of appealing the ruling through the Supreme
Court.
One case stems from the 2004 indictment of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝) on charges of receiving massive kickbacks during
the development phase of the Tongluo expansion of the Hsinchu Science Park in
Miaoli County.
He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to 19 years in prison, a verdict that he
appealed to the High Court. Chen, Lee and Tsai heard his appeal and in May last
year, Chen and Lee found Ho not guilty.
Yesterday’s ruling said Ho gave then-Banciao prosecutor Chiu a NT$3.5 million
bribe, of which NT$2 million was given to Lee while Chiu pocketed the rest.
Ho also gave Tsai’s girlfriend NT$2 million in cash, of which Tsai and she kept
NT$500,000, with Tsai delivering NT$1.5 million to Chen at his High Court
office, the ruling said.
Ho fled his home before investigators stormed his Miaoli County residence in
August, 2010.
In the second case, Fang took bribes from Chang Ping-lung (張炳龍), a former judge
at the High Court’s Hualien branch, to help clear Chang in a 2005 corruption
trial, the ruling said.
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