Statement by the Pro Bono Legal Team | A Crucial First Step Toward Exoneration: Taiwan High Court Renders Ruling to Open Retrial in Wang Lung-chang Case
Last edited: 2026-08-26
On May 25 of this year (2026), the Taiwan High Court issued the 115-Sheng-Tsai-Keng-I-Tzu No. 2 ruling, formally granting a retrial in the Wang Lung-chang case. The pro bono legal team is deeply gratified by this ruling from the High Court, and hereby issues the following statement while continuing to assist Professor Wang Lung-chang in fighting for the innocence he deserves:
1. The Original Final Judgment Lacks Any Evidence to Establish That Wang Lung-chang Accepted Bribes
In 2012, the Supreme Court dismissed Professor Wang Lung-chang's appeal, ruling that the Raito Corporation had obtained the list of evaluation committee members prior to winning the bid for the Nangang Exhibition Center construction project and had bribed Professor Wang and seven other committee members. Professor Wang was sentenced to a final term of 7 years and 8 months of imprisonment. However, aside from the testimony of Huang Wei-an, special assistant to the chairman of the Raito Corporation who delivered the bribes, there is no evidence whatsoever to prove that Wang Lung-chang accepted any bribes.
The High Court's ruling in this instance also questions the time, amount, and method of the alleged bribe-giving to Wang Lung-chang as testified by Huang Wei-an in the original final judgment. The Court noted that the case contains no communication records, no relevant bribe money was ever seized, and no money flows regarding the bribes can corroborate the allegations. There are significant doubts regarding the original final judgment's determination that Professor Wang Lung-chang accepted bribes, making it imperative to open a retrial and re-evaluate the case.
2. Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Jointly Facilitate the Retrial, Anticipating Wang Lung-chang's Early Exoneration
Due to this case, Professor Wang Lung-chang was forced to leave National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT), where he had taught for 39 years, and all of his past policy research concerning national public infrastructure was abruptly halted. This not only caused severe damage to his personal reputation and innocence but also inflicted immense losses on the construction and development of the entire nation and society. Even though Professor Wang has now completed his prison sentence, returned to teach at NTUT—where he was even awarded the Award for Excellence in Contribution in 2020—and gradually resumed his social life, the lost time can never be recovered. Professor Wang's deepest hope remains that the erroneous judicial decision will return his innocence to him.
Since the Control Yuan investigated this case and raised numerous doubts in 2013, and the Prosecutor-General filed an extraordinary appeal on his behalf in 2015, it is regrettable that the Supreme Court dismissed it at the time. The reason the High Court was able to rule in favor of a retrial today stems not only from the years of tireless advocacy and persistence by the pro bono legal team, but also illuminates the dawn of the prosecution system's "zero tolerance for wrongful convictions." After the legal team submitted a petition for "review of final conviction cases" to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office in 2019, the review committee determined that the case indeed contained numerous critical flaws, ultimately prompting the prosecutor to actively initiate a retrial.
Fourteen years have passed, and the path to fighting for innocence has never been abandoned. Today's opening of retrial proceedings marks a vital first step in Professor Wang Lung-chang's journey toward exoneration. The pro bono legal team will continue to dedicate its full efforts to the subsequent retrial proceedings, hoping that the court will uphold an impartial and objective attitude, meticulously review the evidence and facts of the entire case, and return the innocence Professor Wang Lung-chang rightfully deserves at the earliest possible date.
Learn more: Wang Lung-chang Case
Press Contacts
Chang Hua-che, Director of the Case Action Department, Judicial Reform Foundation
02-25231178#22
Yeh Po-chun, Legal Officer, Case Action Department, Judicial Reform Foundation
02-25231178#31
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.