New Taipei village chief sentenced for assisting illegal dumping of waste asphalt

Liu Tien-tsai, the village chief of Chajiao Village in Sanxia District, New Taipei City, illegally provided land belonging to residents to a construction company last year for the dumping of waste asphalt, receiving 40,000 NTD in compensation. The New Taipei District Court recently sentenced Liu to one year and six months in prison with a four-year probation, considering his admission of guilt and the restoration of the land to its original state. According to the court verdict, a construction company manager surnamed Chu and her team sought Liu's assistance to dump asphalt debris from a road improvement project in Sanxia. Liu provided the land without authorization and accepted the payment. Furthermore, Liu instructed the company to dump asphalt debris on a road in Chajiao Village to level it. In total, approximately 349 cubic meters of waste asphalt were illegally disposed of, saving the company over 180,000 NTD in disposal costs. The judge noted that as a village chief, Liu should have upheld the law, but instead sought personal gain. Liu and three other involved individuals received suspended sentences, and the construction company was fined 200,000 NTD.