Murderous Mayor’s Sentence Reduced After 25 Million Payment

A Chiayi County township mayor who was sentenced to life imprisonment after paying a hitman to murder a police officer, has had his sentence reduced after paying a large sum of money to the victim’s family.

In April 2016, Jhuci Township Mayor, Wang Kun-hong, was sentenced to life imprisonment along with the gunman surnamed Liu, after 47 year-old police officer and SWAT team member Lin Jin-zhong was ambushed and brutally murdered with three shotgun blasts outside his wife’s art supply store in Chiayi City.

Liberty Times Network today reported that Wang and Liu have both had their sentences reduced to 15 years by a court in Tainan City.

The court’s decision was made after the former mayor made a payment of NT$25 million to the victim’s family who ‘forgave’ Wang.

An un-named senior police officer quoted in the Liberty Times Network report said it showed that a policeman’s life is considered worthless. He also said there were unanswered questions revolving around the case, including an unidentified middleman and the source of the weapon.

Such a large sum of money raised by an “ordinary honest and upright official” also raises suspicions. The officer said he hopes that prosecutors and police can be perspicacious, and not let a police officer’s life be bought for NT$25 million.

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