Former Principal of Pingxi Junior High School Sentenced for Favoring Contractor
A former principal of New Taipei City's Pingxi Junior High School, surnamed Chen, was sentenced for corruption. She bypassed public bidding for a school renovation project in 2021, directly assigning it to a specific contractor and using false invoices for payment, resulting in illegal profits of over NT$40,000 for the contractor. The New Taipei District Court sentenced her to 1 year and 6 months in prison, with a 3-year suspended sentence.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 3, 2026 at 20:28
- 🔍 Collected: June 3, 2026 at 20:40 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 6, 2026 at 16:28 (67h 48m after Collected)
(CNA, New Taipei City, 3rd) A former principal of New Taipei City's Pingxi Junior High School, surnamed Chen, was sentenced today by the court for corruption. The case involved a school renovation project where she bypassed public bidding, directly assigned the work to a specific contractor, and used false invoices for payment, resulting in illegal profits of over NT$40,000 for the contractor. The New Taipei District Court sentenced her to 1 year and 6 months in prison, with a 3-year suspended sentence, under the Anti-Corruption Act and other charges.
According to the court judgment, while serving as the principal of Pingxi Junior High School, Chen planned to renovate the library on the 3rd floor of the teaching building into a fitness room. In June and July of 2021, she contacted a woman surnamed Kang from an engineering company. After Kang's assessment, the renovation cost was estimated to exceed NT$100,000.
Between October and November of the same year, Chen did not conduct a public tender or solicit quotes from other contractors as required by law. Instead, she directly assigned the project to Kang. She also split the project into multiple smaller purchases to circumvent bidding thresholds and instructed Kang to issue false unified invoices under different company names for payment. Kang then subcontracted the work to downstream suppliers and had her son, surnamed Tseng, assist with the construction.
After the project was completed, Chen approved the payment, and the school disbursed NT$468,000 to the contractor. Tseng and other contractors transferred the payment to Kang. After deducting costs and taxes, Kang obtained illegal profits of over NT$40,000.
The collegiate panel noted that Chen, as the decision-maker for the school's procurement, undermined the fairness and legality of government procurement procedures. Considering her confession, lack of prior criminal record, that the crime was committed for school renovation, and that she did not personally profit, the court sentenced her to 1 year and 6 months in prison, disenfranchisement for 2 years, a 3-year suspended sentence, and a payment of NT$150,000 to the state treasury.
The court ruled that Kang, who acted at Chen's request, confessed and returned all illegal profits. She was sentenced to 1 year and 5 months in prison, disenfranchisement for 2 years, a 3-year suspended sentence, and a payment of NT$100,000 to the state treasury. Tseng was found guilty of violating the Business Accounting Act for creating false accounting vouchers and was sentenced to 3 months in prison, which can be commuted to a fine. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150603
According to the court judgment, while serving as the principal of Pingxi Junior High School, Chen planned to renovate the library on the 3rd floor of the teaching building into a fitness room. In June and July of 2021, she contacted a woman surnamed Kang from an engineering company. After Kang's assessment, the renovation cost was estimated to exceed NT$100,000.
Between October and November of the same year, Chen did not conduct a public tender or solicit quotes from other contractors as required by law. Instead, she directly assigned the project to Kang. She also split the project into multiple smaller purchases to circumvent bidding thresholds and instructed Kang to issue false unified invoices under different company names for payment. Kang then subcontracted the work to downstream suppliers and had her son, surnamed Tseng, assist with the construction.
After the project was completed, Chen approved the payment, and the school disbursed NT$468,000 to the contractor. Tseng and other contractors transferred the payment to Kang. After deducting costs and taxes, Kang obtained illegal profits of over NT$40,000.
The collegiate panel noted that Chen, as the decision-maker for the school's procurement, undermined the fairness and legality of government procurement procedures. Considering her confession, lack of prior criminal record, that the crime was committed for school renovation, and that she did not personally profit, the court sentenced her to 1 year and 6 months in prison, disenfranchisement for 2 years, a 3-year suspended sentence, and a payment of NT$150,000 to the state treasury.
The court ruled that Kang, who acted at Chen's request, confessed and returned all illegal profits. She was sentenced to 1 year and 5 months in prison, disenfranchisement for 2 years, a 3-year suspended sentence, and a payment of NT$100,000 to the state treasury. Tseng was found guilty of violating the Business Accounting Act for creating false accounting vouchers and was sentenced to 3 months in prison, which can be commuted to a fine. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150603