Lin Zi-miao (; born 28 January 1952) is a Taiwanese politician. A member of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

, she served as the

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of Yilan County from 2018 to 2024.

Education

After being educated at National Lotung Commercial Vocational High School, Lin graduated from

Lan Yang Institute of Technology Lan Yang Institute of Technology (LYIT; ) is a private college in Toucheng Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. History LYIT was originally established as Fushin Junior College of Technology in March 1966. In 1983, it was renamed Fushin Institute ...

and then earned a master's degree in public affairs from Fo Guang University.

Political career

Lin was mayor of her home township

Luodong Luodong Township (), sometimes spelled Lotung or Lotong, is an Township (Taiwan), urban township in the central part of Yilan County, Taiwan, Yilan County, Taiwan. Luodong is the smallest township in the county by area. Toponym Its name and forme ...

until 2018.

2018 Yilan County magistrate election

She began campaigning for the Yilan County Magistracy in early 2018, and won stronger local support compared to her opponent, Chen Ou-po. Lin defeated Chen in

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

held on 24 November 2018.

Corruption charges

On 13 January 2022, Lin was one of several Yilan government officials questioned during an investigation into suspected corruption. Prosecutors clarified the next day that several cases were being investigated, and that Lin had been released without bail after the questioning concluded. A second round of questioning took place on 22 February 2022, focusing on value-added tax exemptions for a Luodong Township property granted in 2019, and subsequent revisions to the township’s urban development plans. Investigators later stated that they had tracked nearly NT$100 million in transfers, dating to the early 2000s, to Lin and her relatives from Yang Chi-hsiung. In August 2022, the Yilan County Prosecutors’ Office charged Lin, her daughter, and several others with corruption. According to the indictment, Lin violated charges of

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

and anti-corruption laws, including creating a false appearance of conducting loans. Prosecutors sought a 20-year prison sentence for the alleged breach of the Anti-Corruption Act. On 31 December 2024, Lin was sentenced by the Yilan District Court to 12.5 years in prison on corruption charges. The court also ordered the seizure of NT$32.5 million from Lin. She was suspended as Yilan County magistrate, with her deputy magistrate filling the position. In February 2025, the Yilan District Prosecutors Office appealed for a retrial of Lin's case.

References

External links

* 1952 births Living people Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan Magistrates of Yilan County, Taiwan People from Luodong, Yilan County, Taiwan Women mayors of places in Taiwan 21st-century Taiwanese women politicians 21st-century Taiwanese politicians Taiwanese politicians convicted of corruption {{Taiwan-mayor-stub