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Taitung County Agriculture Director Granted Bail in Favoritism Case; Prosecutors Appeal

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Taitung County Agriculture Department Director Hsu Chia-hao has been granted bail in a corruption case involving alleged favoritism.
  • Prosecutors are appealing the bail decision, citing concerns that remaining witnesses have not been fully interviewed and could collude.
  • The case involves the alleged improper expansion of a farm road to benefit a resort owned by the speaker of the county council's family.

Taitung County Agriculture Department Director Hsu Chia-hao has been granted bail of NT$200,000 (approximately $6,400 USD) in a case involving allegations of corruption and favoritism. The Taitung District Prosecutors Office confirmed on Friday that it has formally appealed the court's decision, arguing that key witnesses have yet to be interviewed, raising concerns about potential collusion.

The investigation centers on accusations that the Taitung County Government improperly used public resources to widen a farm road in the Jianhe mountain area from approximately 3 meters to between 9 and 15 meters. Independent councilor Lin San-tien alleged that this expansion was specifically tailored to serve a resort development invested in by the family of the county council speaker, Wu Hsiu-hua, rather than to support local farmers. The case also includes suspicions of illegally occupying state land and damaging soil and water conservation.

How can there be no suspicion of collusion when relevant witnesses and involved personnel have not yet been fully summoned?

— Ke Po-ling, Chief Prosecutor, Taitung District Prosecutors OfficeThe chief prosecutor expressed strong disagreement with the court's decision to grant bail, highlighting the ongoing investigation and potential for witnesses to coordinate their testimonies.

Prosecutors had sought the detention of Hsu Chia-hao and former section chief Tsai Ming-han, citing significant evidence of their involvement in crimes including embezzlement under the Anti-Corruption Act, attempting to cause soil erosion under the Soil and Water Conservation Act, and misappropriating state land under the Criminal Code. They also argued for detention due to fears of evidence tampering and flight risk.

The Taitung District Court, however, ruled against detention, acknowledging that while Hsu and Tsai denied all charges, the evidence suggested substantial grounds for suspicion and that they faced serious charges with a minimum sentence of five years. The court cited the principle of proportionality and human rights protection, deeming detention unnecessary. Regarding the prosecution's claim of collusion risk, the judge noted that the defendants did not dispute the objective facts and that relevant evidence had been seized, suggesting that further detention was not warranted solely based on the possibility of un-interviewed witnesses.

It is a bit exaggerated to dismiss the risk of collusion based on the grounds that 'seized evidence is sufficient.'

— Ke Po-ling, Chief Prosecutor, Taitung District Prosecutors OfficeThe prosecutor criticized the court's reasoning for granting bail, arguing that seized evidence alone does not negate the risk of witness collusion.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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