New Taipei school lunch corruption case: 32 principals convicted in first instance
In 2011, a school lunch embezzlement scandal broke out in New Taipei City. After two years of trial, the New Taipei District Court announced its first-instance verdict at 4 p.m. Of the 38 principals involved (2 had already died), only 4 were acquitted, while 31 were sentenced under the Anti-Corruption Act and other regulations to terms ranging from 1 year and 2 months to 10 years and 6 months. Lai Chieh-hung, former principal of Sixian Elementary School in New Taipei City, was sentenced to 3 months for leaking the list of procurement committee members, convertible to a fine, and the case remains appealable.
In 2011, maggots were shockingly found at the bottom of a school lunch bucket at Jisui Elementary School in New Taipei City. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office launched an investigation on its own initiative and discovered that multiple principals of elementary and junior high schools in New Taipei City had long accepted bribes from vendors, allowing the businesses to win bids smoothly.
There were as many as 78 defendants in this case, and 286 witnesses were summoned over the course of proceedings. Twelve principals, including former Touqian Junior High School principal Zeng Maoshan, all denied committing the crimes and did not return their illegal gains. The New Taipei District Court, under Article 5, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 3 of the Anti-Corruption Act, for public officials accepting bribes for acts related to their duties, sentenced them to terms ranging from 7 years and 4 months to 10 years and 6 months, along with deprivation of civil rights. Among them, Zeng Maoshan received the heaviest sentence, 10 years and 6 months in prison, for accepting 1.7 million in bribes. Some of the other principals admitted to accepting bribes but denied using the money for school lunch procurement; some turned themselves in and returned their illegal gains, and their sentences ranged from 1 to 6 years.
The New Taipei District Court's judgment stated that between 2002 and 2011, some vendors, in order to win bids, turned their attention to school lunch fees and calculated bribes at 7% to 8% of the meal supply fee (about 3 to 4 yuan), and even gave away smartphones. Once problems arose with meal supply, principals or selection committee members would secretly shield the vendors, switching to lighter penalties or merely verbally demanding improvement, allowing the businesses to continue participating in evaluation the following semester.
The egregious practices led the panel of judges to state bluntly that the defendants "knew nothing of integrity." The judgment said plainly: "...They oversee school affairs, bear the heavy educational responsibility of cultivating talent, and receive high state salaries. They should speak and act cautiously, serving as role models for the speech, conduct, and character of all teachers and students in the school. Yet they knew nothing of maintaining integrity and accepted bribes delivered by central kitchen meal supply vendors. Their criminal acts harm the nation's century-long educational foundation of cultivating people and the physical and mental development of young students..."
In addition to the 32 principals convicted, 26 school lunch suppliers and related staff, and 8 procurement committee members, directors of student affairs, and directors of general affairs, were also sentenced under the Anti-Corruption Act to terms ranging from 10 months to 7 years and 3 months. Four principals, including Wang Jin-ming, Liao Wen-bin, Chen Hao-ran, and Zeng Xue-jiao, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.