Taiwan Official Jailed 5.5 Years for Corruption in Land Deal; Wife and Child Separated

A former agricultural section chief in Taiwan has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for corruption, a case that has led to his divorce and the breakup of his family. The official, identified by the surname Zhuang, was found guilty of illegally issuing an agricultural use certificate for land that had been expanded with cement, enabling the landowner to evade over NT$1.3 million (approximately $40,000 USD) in property gains tax.

During the initial investigation, the landowner had covered the expanded cement area with soil. Zhuang claimed that during an on-site inspection, he used a wooden stick to probe the soil, which he found to be at least 20 centimeters deep, and thus saw no issue. The first court initially ruled in his favor, acquitting him due to a lack of evidence of his knowledge of the illegal expansion.

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I want to reject it, but the section chief kept telling me to approve it.

However, the appeals court overturned the acquittal. Evidence presented, including photographs and testimony from a female colleague, indicated that the cement was only covered by about five centimeters of soil and was visible at the edges. The colleague testified that Zhuang had pressured her to approve the certificate, even returning her draft rejection. This led the court to conclude that Zhuang had deliberately facilitated the illegal activity.

Zhuang, who pursued master's and doctoral degrees in agriculture and had a 20-year career in public service, expressed his disbelief and regret. He maintained his innocence, stating he did not commit any wrongdoing and questioned why he must serve five and a half years in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of the NT$1.3 million in illegal benefits gained by the landowner. The Supreme Court rejected Zhuang's final appeal, confirming his sentence.

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I didn't do anything wrong, why do I have to go to jail for five and a half years?