TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court rejected prosecutors’ attempts to resume former Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an’s (高虹安) appeal hearing on Wednesday reinforcing a previous decision that constitutional review was needed.
The court paused Kao’s appeal against her fraud conviction and jail sentence in early January citing the need for clarification on the Legislative Yuan Organisational Act, per CNA. It said that the part of the act that details legislators’ right to hire and pay for assistants with public funds is unclear and therefore may be unconstitutional.
Prosecutors appealed the decision to pause proceedings, which the court rejected on Wednesday citing an article in the Code of Criminal Procedure. It said the article prevents appeals against a court’s decision during a trial and before judgment is made, except when a separate law allows it.
The court said there was no separate law allowing the appeal in this instance and rejected it. It ordered the trial remain paused awaiting an interpretation from the constitutional court.
Kao was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison in July last year for claiming public funds for personal use. Hung denied guilt during the trial, and claimed the charges were politically motivated.
