Taipei City Councilor Lai Su-ju has been sentenced to ten years in prison for taking bribes from a multinational consortium.
The Taipei District Court made the announcement on Friday. Lai was indicted in July last year for seeking a NT$15 million (about US$493,000) bribe to ensure that the consortium won a massive development project in Taipei. Lai’s lawyer said she would appeal the ruling.
The case has hurt the image of President Ma Ying-jeou because Lai was considered one of Ma’s core aides. Before the alleged corruption case came to light in 2013, she served as director of Ma’s office.