TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court has dismissed an appeal in a high-profile cheating case involving recruitment exams at several state-owned enterprises, finalizing the original verdict, CNA reported Thursday.
The case began after the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office received reports of cheating during hiring exams for Chinese Petroleum Corp. (CPC), China Steel Corporation, Taiwan Power Co., and other state-run companies. Investigators found the group helped more than 100 candidates cheat over a five-year period, earning illegal profits exceeding NT$100 million (US$3.4 million).
Raids on suspects’ homes uncovered mobile phones, earpieces, and signal amplifiers used to transmit answers during exams. On test days, hired individuals solved the questions offsite and relayed answers to candidates via earpiece.
Candidates paid at least NT$20,000 upfront for equipment and were charged between NT$1.2 million and NT$1.5 million after securing a job. The group also offered services such as rewriting autobiographies and providing interview coaching.
CPC filed a civil suit seeking NT$1 million in damages, claiming the cheating operation harmed its reputation.
During the initial trial at Kaohsiung District Court, suspects admitted to their involvement but argued that CPC’s recruitment exams were internal personnel matters rather than commercial activities. They also claimed that since more than 10,000 candidates continued to apply after the cheating became public, CPC’s reputation was not affected and criticism was directed at the cheaters, not the company.
The district court ruled that there was no evidence CPC had suffered reputational damage, as it remained a popular employer. It rejected the company’s claim that the incident had eroded public trust in its internal processes or caused commercial harm.
The High Court found no errors in the lower court’s reasoning and dismissed the appeal, making the ruling final.
Prosecutors found the group was involved in at least 10 recruitment exams for state-owned enterprises.
