Former Taipei Motor Vehicles Office Chief Sentenced to 11 Years, 11 Months in Bribery Case Appeal
Yuan Kuo-chih, former chief of the Taipei City Motor Vehicles Office, was sentenced to 11 years and 11 months in prison in a second-instance trial for accepting bribes and receiving kickbacks. The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday upheld most of the initial verdict but slightly reduced the sentence from 12 years, finding a lack of clear quid pro quo for gifts like tea leaves. Yuan was convicted of taking NT$1.712 million in dividends from a clinic where he held "dry shares" and a NT$100,000 bribe to expedite a parking lot permit. The ruling can be appealed.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 14:24
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(CNA, Taipei, May 20, by reporter Liu Shih-yi) Yuan Kuo-chih, former chief of the Taipei City Motor Vehicles Office, and others were suspected of accepting bribes and receiving dividends by holding "dry shares" in a clinic. The first-instance court sentenced Yuan to 12 years in prison. In the second-instance ruling today, the court determined that it was difficult to establish a quid pro quo relationship for the receipt of tea leaves and other items, but found no other errors in the original verdict, commuting the sentence to 11 years and 11 months. The case can still be appealed.
The case originated when driving school operators surnamed Li and Huang intended to open a health check clinic near the motor vehicles office and invited Yuan Kuo-chih to hold "dry shares" for a 40% dividend. After agreeing, Yuan assisted in getting the clinic approved as a private medical institution commissioned by the Taipei office for health checks. He also used a pretext to have hospital personnel originally stationed inside the office withdraw, allowing the clinic to earn substantial income from health check fees. In total, Yuan Kuo-chih received NT$1,712,000 in bribes from the clinic's dividends and NT$18,000 in illicit benefits from tea leaves and fuel cards.
Additionally, Yuan was also in charge of managing the establishment and alteration of parking lots. In 2019, a rental business operator surnamed Wang, who urgently needed to set up a parking lot, allegedly bribed Yuan with NT$100,000. This led Yuan to expedite the processing of the parking lot application and grant swift approval.
The first-instance Taipei District Court sentenced Yuan Kuo-chih to 12 years in prison for corruption and other offenses. Yuan appealed the decision, and the case was heard by the Taiwan High Court in the second instance.
Today, the High Court ruled that regarding the fuel cards and tea leaves received by Yuan, the evidence on file made it difficult to prove he had assisted the driving school operators in his official capacity, meaning no clear quid pro quo could be seen. Therefore, the verdict was overturned and amended only on this part, while the rest of the original judgment was deemed correct and the appeal was dismissed.
The High Court stated that for the parts of the verdict that were amended and the parts where the appeal was dismissed, Yuan Kuo-chih shall serve an enforceable sentence of 11 years and 11 months in prison, with a 7-year deprivation of civil rights. The case can still be appealed.
The case originated when driving school operators surnamed Li and Huang intended to open a health check clinic near the motor vehicles office and invited Yuan Kuo-chih to hold "dry shares" for a 40% dividend. After agreeing, Yuan assisted in getting the clinic approved as a private medical institution commissioned by the Taipei office for health checks. He also used a pretext to have hospital personnel originally stationed inside the office withdraw, allowing the clinic to earn substantial income from health check fees. In total, Yuan Kuo-chih received NT$1,712,000 in bribes from the clinic's dividends and NT$18,000 in illicit benefits from tea leaves and fuel cards.
Additionally, Yuan was also in charge of managing the establishment and alteration of parking lots. In 2019, a rental business operator surnamed Wang, who urgently needed to set up a parking lot, allegedly bribed Yuan with NT$100,000. This led Yuan to expedite the processing of the parking lot application and grant swift approval.
The first-instance Taipei District Court sentenced Yuan Kuo-chih to 12 years in prison for corruption and other offenses. Yuan appealed the decision, and the case was heard by the Taiwan High Court in the second instance.
Today, the High Court ruled that regarding the fuel cards and tea leaves received by Yuan, the evidence on file made it difficult to prove he had assisted the driving school operators in his official capacity, meaning no clear quid pro quo could be seen. Therefore, the verdict was overturned and amended only on this part, while the rest of the original judgment was deemed correct and the appeal was dismissed.
The High Court stated that for the parts of the verdict that were amended and the parts where the appeal was dismissed, Yuan Kuo-chih shall serve an enforceable sentence of 11 years and 11 months in prison, with a 7-year deprivation of civil rights. The case can still be appealed.