TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Tainan City Council Speaker Kuo Hsin-liang (郭信良) was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday (Nov. 1) for involvement in a corruption scheme worth NT$10 million (US$312,935).

The sentence was delivered by the Tainan District Court and can be appealed. The court also barred Kuo from holding public office for eight years and confiscated NT$6.5 million in criminal proceeds, per TTV.

Kuo and Kao Chin-chien (高進見), a Tainan borough chief, were charged in September 2023 after an investigation into the pair, a property developer, and others. 

Prosecutors said Kuo and Kao received NT$10 million from the developer in exchange for rezoning land, per UDN. Prosecutors recommended harsher sentences for both because the two denied the charges. 

Kuo was elected Tainan City Council Speaker in 2018 after leaving the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to contest the position as an independent. He lost the seat to a DPP candidate in 2022 after one term.