Former KMT Chairman of the Penghu County Council Accused of Bribery and Illegally Obtained 1.76 Million NT Dollars, Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison and Extended Travel Ban for 8 Months

The former "six-term" chairman of the Penghu County Council, Liu Chen Zhao Ling, a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and her secretary, Chen Shu Mei, were detained for involvement in corruption. The Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court sentenced Liu Chen Zhao Ling to 7 years and 6 months in prison and deprived her of political rights for 4 years, while Chen Shu Mei received a sentence of 2 years and 8 months. However, as the term of their travel restrictions was set to expire on March 10, the branch court determined that there was still a risk of them fleeing abroad and therefore extended the travel ban by 8 months.

According to the judgment, Liu Chen Zhao Ling served as the chairman of the Penghu County Council starting from March 1, 2003. However, two individuals, through Liu Chen Zhao Ling's younger brother and her recommendation, were further appointed as fire department squad leaders. Liu Chen Zhao Ling then collected 75,000 New Taiwan Dollars from the two individuals at her office on July 7, 2017, totaling 150,000 New Taiwan Dollars, as a form of bribe in exchange for the recommendation.

During the trial, both admitted their guilt. One of them stated that after confirming their promotion, Liu Chen Zhao Ling asked him for money, and later he received a call from the chairman requesting him to go to the chairman's office, claiming that he needed to donate 75,000 New Taiwan Dollars to a temple. He then withdrew the money from an ATM and handed it over to the chairman's secretary. As for the secretary, Chen Shu Mei confirmed that she had collected money for Liu Chen Zhao Ling. The judge determined that Liu Chen Zhao Ling and Chen Shu Mei had confessed to the case involving the fire department personnel, and they had a common intent to accept bribes in their official duties, each receiving 75,000 New Taiwan Dollars from the two individuals, thus confirming the evidence of the crime.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859076262665224/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.