New Taipei City Crematorium Workers Charged $954,000 in Bribes for Preferential Treatment
New Taipei prosecutors have recently pressed charges against 21 individuals employed at the New Taipei City Crematorium, accusing them of accepting bribes totaling over NT$30.5 million (equivalent to approximately US$954,000). In exchange for these illicit payments, the workers provided preferential treatment to certain individuals.
Leading this group of employees was a certain Mr. Xi, who, together with his accomplices, accepted bribes in exchange for a range of services. These services included expediting cremations, ensuring the careful removal of impurities from remains, and carrying out cremations at specific requested times.
An anti-corruption investigation has unveiled a disconcerting pattern. Beginning in February 2020, funeral homes started attaching cash amounts ranging from NT$500 to NT$2,000 to cremation permits for specific corpses, in order to secure priority treatment. In some cases, funeral homes provided a fixed monthly rate of NT$2,000 per corpse to the group. Upon receiving their bribes, Xi and his staff would temporarily conceal the cash in various locations around the crematorium, such as a transformer box or the communal kitchen. At the end of the day, they would gather the money and transfer it to a safe.
Collaborating with the government’s anti-corruption agency and New Taipei police, the New Taipei Prosecutors conducted extensive investigations, including the search of 69 residences and the questioning of 59 individuals. During this process, Xi and the other 20 defendants readily confessed to their crimes. Furthermore, they surrendered more than NT$20 million of the illicit proceeds to the authorities.
It has been reported that, prior to the filing of charges, these individuals were also involved in stealing gold teeth from the deceased. However, prosecutors have not officially confirmed this claim, stating that it remains under investigation.
Following the discovery of this case in January, four of the implicated employees, including Xi, have either resigned or retired. Additionally, the remaining 17 workers have been relieved of their duties at the crematorium. Nine of these individuals have been terminated as a result of the prosecution, while the employment status of the remaining eight, who were contractors, will be determined in accordance with Taiwan’s labor laws.
The New Taipei funeral office has taken swift action to address these alarming revelations. However, this incident raises questions about the integrity of the crematorium’s operations and the potential exploitation of grieving families. The prosecutors’ efforts to hold the wrongdoers accountable send a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated. Measures must be implemented to prevent such abuses in the future, safeguarding the trust of the community and ensuring that the cremation process is carried out with the utmost respect and fairness for all individuals involved.
