Taiwan's former official indicted for corruption

TAIPEI - Lin Yi-shih, former secretary-general of Taiwan's executive authority body, was formally indicted on Thursday for taking bribes and other crimes that could carry a combined sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutors said Lin, while serving as a "legislator," accepted a bribe of 63 million New Taiwan dollars ($2.15 million) from Chen Chi-hsiang, the owner of Kaohsiung-based Dih Yeon Industrial Co, and helped Chen obtain a slag treatment contract from China Steel Corp.(CSC), in which the island's authorities had a stake.

Later, when Lin served as secretary-general of "Executive Yuan, " he tried but failed to obtain another bribe of 83 million New Taiwan dollars ($2.83 million) from Chen.

Based on the findings, prosecutors charged Lin with taking and demanding bribes. He was also accused of laundering money and possessing assets from unexplained sources.

The indictment came nearly four months after Lin was first probed. Lin's lawyers told a court in Taipei that prosecutors should stop holding him incommunicado, as he no longer poses a flight risk.

But prosecutors argued that Lin should remain detained, given the severity of the charges.

Besides Lin, his mother, Shen Jo-lan, was also indicted for bribe-taking. Lin's wife and two of Shen's brothers were charged with money laundering.

The prosecutors said they found out that the bribes Lin actually received exceeded the amount specified in his confession and seized illicit gains worth tens of millions of New Taiwan dollars.

During the probe, Lin repeatedly said he was innocent and refused to explain how he came to possess so much money, prosecutors said.