President issues pardon for ex-Army officers punished for corruption

Retired Army major general Han Yu-ping (???) and former sergeant Chang Yu-sen (???) received presidential pardons Friday that overturned their penalties for corruption convictions that were widely seen as overly punitive.

President Tsai Ing-wen (???) issued the pardons, the second time she has issued a pardon since taking office in 2016, in line with the principle of proportional punishment enshrined in the Constitution, according to a Presidential Office press release.

Tsai also took into account the contributions they have made to the country during their military careers and public sentiment on a legal matter, the Presidential Office said.

Han was given four and a half years in jail for misappropriating NT$2,880 (US$98.42) from a public fund, intended to be used as bonuses for troops participating in the Han Kuang exercises, to pay for a private banquet in 2015.

He was also disenfranchised for an additional four years. Chang was given a one-year jail term, suspended for three years.

The courts found that Han, then chief of staff at Huadong Defense Command, ordered Chang, a sergeant in charge of the command’s administrative affairs, to fabricate a list of personnel to whom the funds were distributed.

The list was then used to get reimbursed for the money spent on the banquet, attended by Han, the commander of the Huadong Defense Command Liu Te-chin (???), and another military officer and his family.

Han and Chang were first convicted in 2019 and when the Supreme Court rejected their final appeal on Feb. 9, 2022, their fate was sealed.

After the verdict was handed down, half of Han’s pension was forfeited. Han, 58, retired early in 2017 after the accusation surfaced in 2015. Chang was transferred to the Logistic Command amid the allegations and discharged from the military following the ruling.

Speaking at a press conference Friday, Han said he was “thrilled” when he received the pardon, and thanked Tsai and all of the people who have spoken up for him along the way.

According to the military, Chang was happy and thanked the president for the pardon when the military informed him by phone.

The military said it would make sure that Chang is reinstated in the Army as soon as possible.

The verdict has been contested by various parties, including Justice Minister Tsai Ching-hsiang (???) who said, in response to lawmakers in March, that he would pass on their opinions to the Supreme Prosecutors Office to look into the possibility of filing an extraordinary appeal.

Meanwhile, the Hualien Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office announced in April that it would ask for a retrial based on new evidence that came to light.

The Hualien office said Friday that it will proceed with its plan to retry the case, which Lin Kuo-tai (???), Han’s lawyer, said would help clear Han’s name.

The presidential pardon nullified the punishment the two men received, but their criminal convictions remained, Lin said.

Tsai gave her first pardon to Bunun hunter Tama Talum, also known as Wang Kuang-lu (???). He was sentenced in 2014 to three and a half years in prison on weapons possession and poaching charges for using a modified rifle to kill protected wildlife.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel