Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao faces dual legal challenges

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao is scheduled to appear in Taipei District Court in the morning and afternoon on Wednesday (Dec. 27), facing legal issues on two distinct matters. On both occasions, Kao will appear as the defendant.

In the morning case, Kao is accused of defamation by Tario Ong, the pseudonym of Chen Shih-fen, a business professor at Western Washington University in the U.S. In 2022, under the name Ong, Chen claimed on social media that Kao's doctoral thesis from the University of Cincinnati contained unreferenced data from the Institute for Information Industry. After Kao reported Chen for aggravated defamation and the prosecutor chose not to indict, Chen filed a countersuit accusing Kao of false accusations.

The afternoon case is related to allegations that Kao fraudulently claimed assistant fees during her term as a legislator. The Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office has charged Kao with fraudulently obtaining NT＄460,030 in wages and overtime pay for assistants while in office. She and her five former assistants have been indicted on charges of embezzlement and forgery.

Reports suggest that many executives and employees of the Hsinchu City Government have registered as court observers for these cases, possibly leading to an overflow in the courtroom.

The cases are ongoing, with further developments pending.