A former official in charge of an expressway engineering office was on Thursday indicted on charges of taking bribes and bid rigging involving NT$860 million (US$29.17 million at the current exchange rate) of public projects.
Lai Jung-chun (賴榮俊), 57, was the former head of the National Expressway Engineering Bureau’s Southern District Office.
Huang Hung-juei (黃閎睿), 58, owner of Sheng Chi Construction Co, and 15 other contractors were also indicted over suspected bid rigging and other illegal activities that allowed them to secure 30 public projects totaling NT$860 million over eight years.
Photo courtesy of the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office
Changhua County prosecutors said that Lai in 2013 started accepting bribes to secure tenders for engineering and repair work on the nation’s expressways.
Lai, who had been in detention since Dec. 30 last year, was on Thursday released after posting bail of NT$600,000.
Prosecutors told reporters that they were tipped off last year about bribery and corruption practices at the office headed by Lai in Tainan and initiated a preliminary investigation.
While searching Lai’s dormitory last year, prosecutors said they discovered a black suitcase containing NT$3 million in cash under his bed.
Evidence and testimony provided by people questioned over the case indicate that Lai accepted bribes ranging from NT$400,000 to NT$2 million from contractors, accumulating NT$7.23 million in total, prosecutors said.
Lai’s activities went undetected and he even received a “model civil servant” award from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in 2015.
Calling it ironic, prosecutors said Lai received about NT$500,000 in bribes that year.
During the eight-year period, Lai served as a section head of the bureau’s Central District Office, was promoted to its deputy director, then took over as head of the Southern District Office.
He was also an assistant professor at a private university.
Prosecutors said Lai provided Huang with inside information on project requirements, specifications and minimum price ranges for bids, allowing the group of 16 contractors to secure 24 tenders from the Central District Office and six from the Southern District Office when Lai was serving at those offices.
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