The High Court yesterday acquitted a lawmaker, a former lawmaker and two associates in a bribery case involving efforts to help former Pacific Distribution Investment Co chairman Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆) regain control of Pacific SOGO, while upholding prison sentences for two former legislators.
The court upheld a 10-year sentence for former independent legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Sufin Siluko (廖國棟), while acquitting former New Power Party legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) and KMT Legislator Chen Chao-ming (陳超明).
Former independent legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) was sentenced to six months and fined NT$60,000 (US$1,883.95) for tax evasion.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Also acquitted were Hsu’s assistant, Wu Shih-chang (吳世昌), and Chen’s office director, Liang Wen-yi (梁文一), who had received six-and-a-half-year and five-year sentences respectively in the first ruling.
In July 2022, the Taipei District Court handed prison sentences to five lawmakers in the case, ranging from six months to 10 years.
Hsu was previously sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for accepting a bribe without violating his official duties, while Chen was handed a jail term of seven years and eight months and ordered to forfeit NT$1 million.
Prosecutors accused Lee of bribing lawmakers including Su, Sufin, Chen and Hsu in exchange for their help in pressuring Ministry of Economic Affairs officials over the company’s ownership dispute, including through amendments to the Company Act (公司法), public hearings and other legislative actions.
Lee was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, suspended for five years, and ordered to pay NT$10 million to the public treasury.
He sought to regain control of Pacific Distribution Investment and Pacific SOGO after failing to resolve the ownership dispute through legal channels, the court said.
Lee sought lawmakers’ help to pressure the ministry through legislative oversight, questioning government agencies and proposed amendments to laws, the ruling said.
Su met Lee in 2012 and used his legislative powers to assist him in handling the Pacific Distribution Investment case, it said.
The court found Su guilty of receiving NT$25.8 million in bribes over more than five years, and frequently holding coordination meetings and questioning ministry officials.
Sufin and his office director, Ting Fu-hua (丁復華), also assisted Lee through coordination meetings, questioning officials and legislative proposals, with Sufin receiving NT$6.2 million in bribes, the ruling said.
Chen and Liang were found to have been bribed to pressure ministry officials to attend a public hearing at Soochow University, it said.
Hsu was accused of accepting NT$2 million in bribes disguised as political donations.
Lee sought Hsu’s help to organize a public hearing at the university, with Hsu arranging to borrow a Legislative Yuan meeting room and issuing notices inviting ministry officials to attend, the ruling said.
The High Court yesterday overturned the convictions of Chen, Hsu, Wu and Liang, while upholding the sentences for Su and Sufin.
The ruling can be appealed.
Chao’s six-month tax-evasion sentence is final, as neither side appealed that portion of the case.
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