TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court on Thursday upheld an eight-month prison term for media personality Wu Tzu-chia (吳子嘉) over allegations that a former premier and a former health minister made illegal profits from COVID-19 vaccines.

The sentence can be commuted to a fine at the rate of NT$1,000 (US$31) per day, CNA reported. The chair of the My Formosa online news site alleged in 2022 that former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and then-health minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) had pocketed NT$3.18 billion (US$100 million) from a BioNTech vaccine contract.

After an investigation, prosecutors charged Wu with aggravated defamation. The Taipei District Court sentenced him to six months in prison for one count and four months for another, resulting in a combined sentence of eight months. The Taiwan High Court rejected his appeal.

Separately, Wu was also ordered to pay NT$900,000 in compensation to Su. Chen had sought NT$10 million, with the Taiwan High Court awarding NT$2 million. However, the Supreme Court sent Chen’s case back to the Taiwan High Court, which has yet to issue a verdict.