China News Service, September 7, According to Taiwan's United Daily News, Yang Zongzhe, a former "legislator" of Changhua County, Taiwan, was accused of conspiring for small-scale project kickbacks with Yang Changfu, then chairman of the Xihu Town People's Representative Association, and other people during his tenure as mayor of Xihu Town. The case was entangled for 18 years, and the fourth trial was sentenced to 9 years and 5 years and 6 months in prison. At the end of August this year, the "Supreme Court" in Taiwan rejected the appeal and concluded the case. On the morning of September 7, Yang Zongzhe and Yang Changfu reported to the Changhua District Prosecutor's Office. The prosecutor confirmed his identity and sent it to the prison for execution.
Taiwan Changhua County, Taiwan's former "legislator" and mayor of Qianxihu Town Yang Zongzhe. Taiwan's United Daily News
Except for Yang Zongzhe and Yang Changfu, the other defendants involved in the case who were sentenced to 2-3 years in prison were three women, surnamed Cai, Yang and Chen, and five men, surnamed Huang, Chen, He, Yang and Li, who also reported to the Changhua District Prosecutor's Office.
62-year-old Yang Zongzhe served as the second term "legislator" of Changhua County. He was elected as the mayor of Xihu Town in January 1998. Although he was prosecuted in the case, he was still re-elected successfully. He was suspended after 14 years in the first instance in 2003. He was elected as a "legislator" with a high vote the following year. He failed to run for re-election three years later and faded out of politics.
After Yang Zongzhe was elected as the mayor of Xihu Town, in order to ensure the smooth progress of official business, he reached a consensus with the chairman of the town congress Yang Changfu and all the town representatives, the town office will prepare the project proposal funds for the annual total budget, and the project contractor recommended by the town representatives will obtain the construction.
Taichung High School Branch pointed out in the judgment that the 12 township representatives were divided into three groups, each of which recommended manufacturers to contract small projects, and agreed that the project rebate was 25%, of which 5% belonged to Yang Zongzhe, and the remaining 20% were allocated to the township representatives and the staff of the organizers by Yang Changfu.
In early 2001, someone reported this corruption case. Yang Zongzhe and Yang Changfu both denied that there were kickbacks for small projects, but six town residents argued that they were "uncontrollably" and became tainted witnesses, and gave out the inside story and submitted the project kickbacks. In October of the same year, the prosecutor concluded that Yang Zongzhe, Yang Changfu and many other people involved in the case demanded and divided the project kickbacks totaling NT$8.31 million, and prosecuted for joint corruption.
In May 2003, the Changhua District Court sentenced Yang Zongzhe to 14 years in prison, and Yang Changfu and other persons involved were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 13 to 7 years respectively. Although the six town deputies who were converted to tainted witnesses were both prosecuted, they were all sentenced to exemption from the court. After Yang Zongzhe and others filed an appeal, the case went back and forth between the Taichung High School and the "Supreme Court" in Taiwan. At the end of August this year, the "Supreme Court" in Taiwan rejected the appeal of the fourth instance, and the small-scale project fraud case finally came to an end.
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