Hsinchu: Kao Hung-an, the suspended Hsinchu Mayor, announced on Wednesday that she will return to her post on Thursday after the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) approved her application for reinstatement following a high court ruling that overturned her corruption conviction.
According to Focus Taiwan, Kao informed that the Hsinchu City Government received a letter from the MOI earlier on Wednesday, approving her reinstatement application. She is set to report to work Thursday morning to resume her duties as Hsinchu City Mayor and fulfill her pledge to serve the citizens of the city.
Kao’s statements came after the MOI confirmed that her reinstatement application was approved by Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang. The Hsinchu City government filed the application for reinstatement shortly after a high court ruling on Tuesday overturned Kao’s corruption conviction. However, the court imposed a six-month sentence for causing public officials to make false entries in official records in a case involving assistant fees during her tenure as a legislator.
The six-month prison sentence can be converted into a fine and appealed, as per the high court’s decision. Previously, in July 2024, the Taipei District Court sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for violating the Anti-Corruption Act and the Criminal Code, leading to her suspension.
The district court had found that Kao, who served as a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmaker from February 1, 2020, to December 25, 2022, inflated assistant salaries and overtime pay claims, obtaining NT$116,514 (US$3,696) in illicit gains. However, the high court had a different perspective, noting that based on the legislative history of the Legislative Yuan Organization Act, legislative assistant expenses are substantively a form of subsidy that allows flexible allocation.
The high court’s decision highlighted that Kao hired two additional assistants beyond the disposable NT$110,000, indicating a lack of criminal intent to commit corruption. Under the Local Government Act, a county magistrate or city mayor who is suspended after being convicted at a trial of first instance of corruption-related offenses may be reinstated if the conviction is overturned on appeal before the end of the term.
Kao, who withdrew from the TPP in July after the district court’s verdict, stated that she has not yet discussed her return with the party, as her current priority is to resume her duties as Hsinchu Mayor as soon as possible. When asked about her feelings following the high court decision, Kao mentioned that she has not received a court document detailing the ruling and hopes the public will wait for the document before discussing the ruling and respect the court’s decision.
In the interim period following Kao’s suspension, her deputy, Chiu Chen-yuan, assumed the role of acting mayor. Additionally, Kao survived a recall vote on July 26, initiated by civil groups and supported by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.