Taiwanese judge Hu Chin-pin indicted in graft scandal
Prosecutors are seeking to confiscate over US$1.5 million dollars worth of alleged illicit assets from senior judge Hu Chin-pin
Taiwan prosecutors on Monday indicted a judge on charges of graft and sought to confiscate over US$1.5 million dollars worth of alleged illicit assets owned by him, in the latest scandal to hit the island’s judiciary.
Hu Chin-pin, a senior judge at the central Taichung High Court, was charged with accepting bribes, according to a statement by the special prosecutors office at the conclusion of a three-year investigation.
Five other people were also charged on bribery, money laundering and fraud allegations, the office said. Among them was Hu’s girlfriend surnamed Huang, according to the statement.
The prosecutors found that Hu had seen his unidentified source assets surge by NT46.47 million (US$1.55 million) since 2010, largely stashed in the bank accounts of his family members and for credit card expenses, as well as to buy a luxury sedan.
The amount of the unidentified income was “the largest ever found among judicial officials”, the statement said.
“What Hu did has marred the image of government officials and spoiled judicial morals. Even worse, he has shown no remorse since the outbreak of the scandal ...We request the courts to levy the heaviest possible punishment on him,” it said.