Tainan Public Works Official Detained for Bribery; Six Bribers Released on Bail

A deputy engineer surnamed Hsieh of the Tainan City Public Works Bureau was suspected of accepting property from several construction companies in exchange for allowing them to quickly obtain usage permits. The Tainan District Prosecutors Office searched 12 locations, including the Public Works Bureau, yesterday and summoned 12 people. Today, a court approved the detention of Hsieh, while six individuals who allegedly paid bribes were released on bail ranging from NT$10,000 to NT$300,000.

According to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office, Hsieh, who was responsible for reviewing and approving usage permits for construction projects in Tainan, allegedly accepted property including water purifiers, air purifiers, televisions, and surround sound speakers, valued between NT$20,000 and NT$120,000, from representatives of several construction companies or permit application agents in October and November 2025. In return, he allowed their construction projects to quickly obtain usage permits.

The prosecutors office determined that Hsieh was suspected of violating the Anti-Corruption Act by accepting bribes for official acts. Due to the risk of evidence tampering and collusion with accomplices or witnesses, he was arrested early this morning and a court approved his detention without bail.

In addition, six individuals, including representatives of construction companies and permit application agents surnamed Chen, Wang, Wu, Li, Huang, and Sun, were released on bail of NT$300,000, NT$100,000, NT$100,000, NT$100,000, NT$60,000, and NT$10,000, respectively, on suspicion of bribing a public official.