Judges grand bail to accused county commissioner (2013/03/26)
Judges have set bailat NT$20 million for Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching. Lee standsaccused oftakingbribes in over a hundred projects, including repair work following the deadly Typhoon Morakot.
Nantou suffered heavilyin 2009 when Typhoon Morakot severed roads leading Xinyi Township’s Shenmu Village. On one project the county government spent NT$1.37 million on repairs, but more damage seemed to emerge during each new storm. Prosecutors say much of the blamelies with County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching, who they accuse oftaking bribesfor the work.
“We Nantou residents suffered, but the county leaders showed us no empathy. Corruption played a rolein each road project. They made a mess of the roads.”
According to prosecutors Lee wanted kickbacks for projects large and small, from major rebuilding work to cleaning gutters and fixing railings. They say he took 10 percent of costs, demanding payment down to the last NT dollar.
Hong Jia-yuan Nantou Lead Prosecutor He took bribes of more than NT$31 millionon over a hundred projects. Lee Chao-ching denies wrongdoing, but our office feels he played a major role in these cases.
Prosecutors say Lee’s corruption dates back to when he headed the local public works bureau. They say Lee also took bribes in purchasing agreements outside his bureau.
Hong Jia-yuan Nantou Lead Prosecutor This case goes beyond a single agency. County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching would even directly (take)kickbacksfrom developers. Lee was a member of the KMT. When the case first broke late last year, the party’s disciplinary committee decided to revoke his party rights.