Former chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Kong Jaw-sheng (龔照勝) was found not guilty of jobbery at the Taiwan High Court yesterday.
Kong, who also previously served as chairman of the state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corp, was indicted in 2006. Prosecutors said Kong failed to comply with legal procurement regulations when he served as a government-appointed executive of the state-run company.
They had asked for a seven-year jail term.
Kong was later found not guilty by the Taipei District Court. Prosecutors appealed the ruling.
He was charged with using NT$100 million (US$3 million) to improperly benefit others and breach of trust in three cases of corruption during his term as chairman of the company from December 2003 to June 2004.
He was also accused of granting a certain company exclusive distribution rights to market upscale collagen cosmetics products and opening a coffee shop without following the proper public procurement process.
Other charges included the improper hiring of his sister-in-law as an adviser with a monthly salary of US$3,000.
Rejecting the appeal, the Taiwan High Court said there was no evidence to prove that Kong had asked clerks to break the law or that he used controversial methods to make procurements.
The court could find no evidence that Kong had illegally benefited others. Taiwan Sugar Corp could legally negotiate pricing with only one company, the court said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS