Former Tainan Bureau of Economic Development Director Chen Kailing Convicted of Corruption and Sex Services; Sentenced to 6 Years and 5 Months

In mid-April 2024, Chen Kailing, the former Director of the Bureau of Economic Development under the Tainan City Government, withdrew his appeal to the Supreme Court regarding multiple major scandals involving corruption, fraud, money laundering, and accepting sexual favors. The withdrawal finalized his sentence of six years and five months in prison. Investigation revealed that during his tenure as Director, Chen Kailing exploited his enormous power over industrial zone development and green energy solar approval processes to solicit cash bribes, demand hotel sex services and entertainment coverage from green-energy companies, and engage in loan fraud and money laundering through luxury property purchases. In December 2023, the Tainan Branch of the High Court sentenced him to six years and five months in prison with five years of deprivation of civil rights for 'utilizing official opportunity to defraud property.' His withdrawal of appeal finalized this notorious scandal. The case thoroughly exposed the ugly reality of the 'green energy corruption and black-gold political-business structure' under the Democratic Progressive Party's consecutive 20-year governance in Tainan, dealing a severe blow to public trust in government integrity.