Taipei: Taiwan's Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Keelung City Councilor Chang Hao-han in a case involving government-funded aide subsidies, making final a sentence of 23 months in prison, suspended for five years. He was also deprived of his civil rights for two years. The ruling means Chang can no longer serve as a city councilor.

According to Focus Taiwan, the indictment states that Chang exploited his position as a city councilor to instruct a government-funded aide, surnamed Chen, to falsely report her salary beginning in 2019. Through this arrangement, he allegedly obtained NT$670,033 (US$21,197) fraudulently. Chang also allegedly listed his mother, surnamed Lee, as a government-funded aide without her knowledge, securing an additional NT$112,453 in aide subsidies and Lunar New Year payments between 2018 and 2022.

Taiwan's Regulations Governing Allowances for Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Chiefs of Villages stipulate that subsidies for government-funded aides and Lunar New Year payments are derived from budgets allocated by local councils and are separate from councilors' salaries, as noted in the indictment. The Keelung District Prosecutors Office charged Chang and Chen for exploiting their official positions to fraudulently obtain property under the Anti-Corruption Act.

In May 2025, the Keelung District Court sentenced Chang to two years in prison, suspended for five years, stripped him of his civil rights for four years, and imposed a penalty of NT$200,000 to be paid to the national treasury. Chen received a sentence of one year and four months in prison, suspended for four years, and was deprived of her civil rights for two years.

Upon appeal, the Taiwan High Court reduced Chang's prison sentence to 23 months and his civil rights deprivation to two years, while upholding the five-year suspension. He was also placed under probation supervision during the suspension period and ordered to pay NT$200,000 to the national treasury. The Supreme Court's decision on Thursday confirmed and finalized the High Court's ruling.

Source: Focus Taiwan