Breaking
ITDouble Russian missile attack in Kharkiv: one dead and six injuredARThe Yemeni government announces a military operation against the Houthis and targets Saudi AramcoBRLagoinha counts municipal elections: Bolsonaro leads presidential, Tarcísio wins governorBRLucas Pavanato is the most voted federal deputy in the history of São PauloBRPraia Grande councilor Eduarda Campopiano is elected state deputy with more than 1.7 million votes in 2026BRResults of the 2022 state elections: re-elections, second rounds and Datafolha projectionsTRChain accident on Altınyol Street Winery Bridge: 4 injuredBRAndré do Prado is elected senator for São Paulo with the support of Tarcísio and Flávio BolsonaroBRQueluz concludes counting of municipal elections at 7:03 pm this SundayTRA 4.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Saimbeyli district of AdanaITDouble Russian missile attack in Kharkiv: one dead and six injuredARThe Yemeni government announces a military operation against the Houthis and targets Saudi AramcoBRLagoinha counts municipal elections: Bolsonaro leads presidential, Tarcísio wins governorBRLucas Pavanato is the most voted federal deputy in the history of São PauloBRPraia Grande councilor Eduarda Campopiano is elected state deputy with more than 1.7 million votes in 2026BRResults of the 2022 state elections: re-elections, second rounds and Datafolha projectionsTRChain accident on Altınyol Street Winery Bridge: 4 injuredBRAndré do Prado is elected senator for São Paulo with the support of Tarcísio and Flávio BolsonaroBRQueluz concludes counting of municipal elections at 7:03 pm this SundayTRA 4.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Saimbeyli district of Adana
BackAfter serving his sentence, he was acquitted after a retrial.
After serving his sentence, he was acquitted after a retrial.
Developing
自由时报1 hour agoCrime2 min readChinaView original

After serving his sentence, he was acquitted after a retrial.

Quick Look

  • In the Nangang Exhibition Hall project bidding fraud case, former Taipei University of Technology professor Wang Longchang was sentenced to seven-year imprisonment and served more than three years for accepting bribes.
  • He was acquitted on the 1st of this month through a retrial.
  • Although another selection committee member Zhou Jiapeng in the same case was accused of accepting one million yuan in bribes, he was acquitted multiple times due to insufficient evidence.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The Nangang Exhibition Hall project bidding fraud case involved a number of external selection committee members who were accused of accepting bribes. Among them, Wang Longchang and Zhou Jiapeng were the two main defendants. The case went through years of trials and retrials.

Font size

After serving his sentence, he was acquitted after a retrial.

In the Nangang Exhibition Hall project bidding fraud case, many external selection committee members were accused of taking bribes. Among them, Wang Longchang, a former professor at the Institute of Civil Engineering and Disaster Prevention of Taipei University of Technology, was sentenced to seven years in prison and sentenced to death in August. He served more than three years in prison and was paroled. He was acquitted through a retrial on the 1st of this month. However, another selection committee member in the same case, Zhou Jiapeng, an associate professor at Tamkang University, was also accused of accepting NT$1 million by a briber. Although he was sentenced to a severe sentence in the first instance, the second instance was acquitted due to lack of supporting evidence. After the Supreme Court remanded, he was still acquitted, and it was confirmed in 2014. The Control Yuan also questioned during the investigation that the evidence and reinforcement standards of different defendants in the same case were different.

The prosecutors accused that year that after Rio Tinto Construction obtained the list of selection committee members for the Nangang Exhibition Hall, chairman Guo Quanqing instructed special assistant Huang Wei'an and general manager Cai Shangqing to contact the judges separately. Among them, Zhou Jiapeng was accused of Cai Shangqing paying 500,000 yuan each as "front money" and "backward gratitude" before and after Rio Tinto won the bid, totaling 1 million yuan.

Please read on...

The High Court held in the first instance that although Cai Shangqing testified that he twice paid bribes to Zhou Jiapeng, he was a witness who had benefited from a reduced sentence or exemption from punishment in accordance with the Witness Protection Act, and his testimony must be supported by supporting evidence. Although Guo Quanqing testified that he had instructed Cai and Huang to pay bribes, he could not confirm whether the money was actually delivered to the judges. Huang Wei'an also did not see Cai pay the money with his own eyes, which is not enough to prove that Zhou Jiapeng actually accepted bribes.

The prosecutor also submitted Rio Tinto expenditure subpoenas, payment application forms and restaurant invoices to prove that Cai Shangqing had dined with Zhou Jiapeng. However, the court held that "eating" did not mean "paying money." The relevant information could not prove that Cai Shangqing had paid bribes at the alleged restaurant.

In addition, although Rio Tinto had internal expenses related to the Nangang Exhibition Hall, it could not be confirmed whether it was the advance payment or back payment to Zhou. No abnormal funds that could be linked to the bribes were found in the accounts of Zhou Jiapeng and his family, so the verdict was not guilty.

In contrast, Wang Longchang was accused by Huang Weian of accepting NT$700,000 in "front money" and NT$500,000 in "subsequent gratitude". Although the actual flow of the bribe money could not be found, the original verdict still held that cash bribes were confidential and could not be concluded that no bribes had been accepted just because there was no corresponding cash flow. Wang was eventually sentenced to death in August of the seventh year of his life in 2012.

The Supervisory Yuan questioned the different judgment standards in the two cases

The Supervisory Yuan later compared the two cases and pointed out that in Zhou Jiapeng's case, the company's account books, subpoenas and other materials were not enough to strengthen the briber's testimony and he was acquitted; in the case of Wang Longchang and others, they were found guilty despite the lack of direct evidence to strengthen the case. They questioned the different standards of evidence and reinforcement adopted for different defendants in the same case.

Wang Longchang was finally acquitted after years of running for his life. After the verdict, he expressed special thanks to the legal team led by lawyer Lin Junhong of the Civil Justice Reform Foundation. In particular, the legal team did not charge any fees. The three lawyers Lin Junhong, Luo Kai and Wang Yuyao who are defending Wang this time have been involved in human rights cases for a long time in the past. Among them, Luo Kai is the eldest son of former Executive Yuan spokesman Luo Bingcheng.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • Wang Longchang may request compensation according to the National Compensation Law

    Possible · Within months

  • The Control Yuan may propose corrections to the judiciary’s evidentiary standards in similar corruption cases

    Likely · Within months

Open Questions

  • Why did the two defendants receive different sentences despite similar evidence?
  • Will the Control Yuan further investigate the evidentiary standards of the judiciary?
  • How likely is it that Wang Longchang will receive state compensation?

Related Topics

This article was originally published by 自由时报.

Related Stories

Late-night fire in Xinfeng destroyed 2 buildings and 5 people were rescued and sent to hospital
BREAKING·

Late-night fire in Xinfeng destroyed 2 buildings and 5 people were rescued and sent to hospital

A fire broke out late last night on Zhongxiao Street, Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County. A fire broke out in two hotel buildings and spread. A total of five people, four adults and two children, were trapped for a time. Fortunately, they were all rescued by firefighters and sent to the hospital for treatment. Residents around the fire scene were disturbed by the thick smoke and could not sleep. The fire was extinguished around 11:30 in the night. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

自由时报
1 min read
Taipei police raid on gay bar sparks protests, groups demand apology and investigation into discriminatory law enforcement
Developing·

Taipei police raid on gay bar sparks protests, groups demand apology and investigation into discriminatory law enforcement

Taipei City Wanhua Branch Police raided the gay bar Commander D on suspicion of public blasphemy, detained several people and were accused of using excessive force and discriminatory remarks. Civil society groups and protesters demanded an apology, an investigation and improved law enforcement from the police, emphasizing that the move contradicted Taipei's self-proclaimed image as Asia's most LGBTQ-friendly. The police maintain that their actions were lawful and have disciplined an officer who made inappropriate remarks.

自由时报
2 min read
Late-night fire in Xinfeng burned 2 buildings, 6 people were trapped and rescued
BREAKING·

Late-night fire in Xinfeng burned 2 buildings, 6 people were trapped and rescued

A fire broke out late last night on Zhongxiao Street in Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County. A fire broke out in a building that combined two residences and a store. Six people, four adults and two children, were trapped for a time. Fortunately, they were all rescued. Among them, a 15-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man were sent to the hospital for treatment due to minor choking. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified, and firefighters are still dealing with the residual fire.

自由时报
1 min read
House fire on Guangming Street, Xindian, New Taipei City, 34 people evacuated, 2 sent to hospital for observation
BREAKING·

House fire on Guangming Street, Xindian, New Taipei City, 34 people evacuated, 2 sent to hospital for observation

A fire broke out in a residential house on Guangming Street, Xindian District, New Taipei City tonight. The fire department dispatched 24 fire trucks, 2 ambulances and 57 police and firefighters to evacuate 34 residents. Two female residents (aged 94 and 50 years old) were sent to Xindian Gengxin Hospital for observation due to physical discomfort. The fire was extinguished after about 20 minutes, and the burning area was about 40 square meters. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

自由时报
1 min read
More on this topicNangang Exhibition Hall