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Lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei's associates admit to corruption charges

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Independent legislator Kao Chin Su-mei and her assistant are accused of defrauding assistant fees and illegally importing rapid test kits.
  • Kao's brother's ex-wife and her special assistant have admitted to corruption charges and sought suspended sentences.
  • The legislator is also accused of using relatives as fronts to claim subsidies and benefits, and her assistant allegedly misused funds from a cultural exchange association.

Two associates of independent legislator Kao Chin Su-mei have admitted to corruption charges related to defrauding assistant fees and misusing funds. Kao's brother's ex-wife, Liu Pei-ying, and Kao's special assistant, Kao Chih-wei, both confessed their involvement during a court hearing and requested suspended sentences, offering to pay into the public treasury as a condition.

These admissions come as Kao Chin Su-mei faces accusations from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. She is alleged to have conspired with her assistant, Chang Chun-chieh, to embezzle over NT$7.87 million in assistant fees and other benefits between 2008 and 2018. Kao allegedly used relatives as nominal employees to claim these funds. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she is accused of importing over 70,000 rapid test kits from China without proper inspection, purportedly for personal use, violating the Medical Device Act.

We are not accepting interviews.

โ€” Liu Pei-yingStated to reporters after admitting to corruption charges in court.

Chang Chun-chieh faces separate charges for allegedly defrauding state-owned enterprises. Between 2015 and 2016, while acting as the head of the "Taiwan Indigenous Multi-Ethnic Cultural Exchange Association," he is accused of inflating expenses for events to claim over NT$16 million in subsidies from entities like the Council of Indigenous Peoples, CPC Corporation, and Taiwan Power Company. The funds were allegedly misappropriated after the events failed to materialize as described.

What are you doing? We are not accepting interviews.

โ€” Companion of Liu Pei-yingShouting at reporters outside the courthouse.

While Liu Pei-ying and Kao Chih-wei admitted guilt, two other former assistants, Lu Hsia and Lu Tzu-chiu, who also served as public-funded assistants, denied the charges. Kao Chin Su-mei herself was scheduled to appear in court on September 4, but her lawyer requested a postponement due to a scheduling conflict, and her hearing has been rescheduled to October 27.

The case has drawn significant attention, with Liu Pei-ying and her companion attempting to avoid media scrutiny after the hearing. The charges against Kao and her associates involve serious offenses under Taiwan's Anti-Corruption Act, carrying substantial penalties.

We both admit our guilt and hope for a suspended sentence.

โ€” Liu Pei-ying and Kao Chih-weiStated in court when admitting to corruption charges.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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