2026/10/05 05:30
Reporter Yang Xinhui / Special Report
Former Taipei University of Technology professor Wang Longchang was acquitted in the Nangang Exhibition Hall project bidding scandal. The key to his acquittal lay in the inconsistent testimony of Huang Wei-an, the special assistant to the chairman of Li-Tuo Construction, who accused him of accepting bribes, and the lack of corroborating objective evidence such as bank statements.
Wang Bo-qi, associate professor of the Department of Crime Prevention at Ming Chuan University, stated that while tainted witnesses can help uncover hidden crimes, they may also make false accusations to reduce sentences. Therefore, objective evidence is crucial, and how the court selects and evaluates evidence is also key to avoiding miscarriage of justice.
Wang Longchang was initially convicted of accepting bribes, with key evidence coming from Huang Wei-an, who later became a tainted witness. Huang accused Wang of receiving NT$1.2 million, but no communication or email records were found between the two, and no bribe money was seized or any corresponding abnormal bank transactions were discovered in Wang’s or his family’s accounts.
Huang’s testimonies regarding how he met Wang Longchang, the time and place of their meetings, and the time and method of the bribe payment varied in different instances. Wang Bo-qi explained that the original purpose of the tainted witness system was to encourage those involved in crimes to reveal facts that are difficult to detect, especially serious crimes which are often secretive and difficult for outsiders to obtain evidence for. Through the confessions of those involved, investigators can be assisted in uncovering crimes and tracking down other accomplices; therefore, the system itself has a positive function.
Wang Po-Chi stated that, however, the system also carries risks. Because witnesses may exchange their testimonies about other involved parties for reduced sentences or other favorable treatment, there is a possibility that they might be tempted to falsely accuse others for their own benefit. They might even be driven by personal grudges, thinking, “Since the worst that can happen is imprisonment, if implicating someone else can get me a reduced sentence, I’ll take a gamble.” Therefore, the credibility of tainted witnesses’ statements needs to be verified by other objective evidence.
Professor Wang Po-Chi further pointed out that the burden of proof lies with the prosecutor in determining how the court selects evidence and forms its own evaluation of evidence. The court should also investigate and assess the probative value of relevant evidence. Even if the defendant presents multiple pieces of evidence favorable to them, if the court ultimately chooses not to accept them, the key lies in whether the judge’s process and reasons for forming their own evaluation of evidence are sufficient. However, this evaluation of evidence is not without limitations. If there is objective evidence favorable to the defendant, the court should still thoroughly investigate and explain why it should accept or reject it.
Professor Wang Po-Chi, in an interview with the Liberty Times, warned that tainted witnesses may be the subject of false accusations for sentence reduction.