TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The High Court on Thursday upheld the Taichung District Court’s conviction of Kuomintang Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) for corruption and forgery.

According to the indictment, Yen orchestrated a sham sale of his mansion in Taichung’s Shalu District after it was found to be illegally occupying state-owned land, per CNA. Prosecutors said he worked with his assistant Lin Chin-fu (林進福) and a design firm to fabricate the transaction.

Yen also allegedly claimed assistant-fee subsidies by listing Lin — who prosecutors said did not actually serve as an assistant — as a dummy to collect the grants.

The High Court cited a “Yen collection and payment summary” compiled by Lin’s wife that documented legislative salary flows as key evidence in the subsidy fraud, per China Times.

The court said Yen may still appeal the corruption conviction, while the forgery and larceny convictions are final. The court noted that if the corruption conviction is ultimately upheld, Yen will be stripped of his legislative seat.

In response, Yen said the ruling was politically motivated, arguing the investigation began suspiciously soon after he announced his 2024 candidacy, per ETtoday.

Yen maintained that Lin performed work duties and that he paid assistants out of his own pocket, denying any intent to defraud the government. Regarding the property case, he said he sought to dispose of the house due to intense media scrutiny of his family at the time.