Court scraps pollution fine for ASE

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A court scrapped a fine of NT$102 million (US$3.1 million) for Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. Tuesday over its pollution of a river, but the Kaohsiung City Government said it would file an appeal.

ASE, the world’s largest computer packaging and testing company, was found in 2013 to have discharged waste water into Kaohsiung’s Houjing River without the required treatment.

Following an appeal by the company against the fine issued by the Kaohsiung City Government, the High Administrative Court ruled ASE did not need to pay the money. The city immediately stated it could not accept the verdict and would appeal it.

The judges said the city’s environmental affairs department had not been able to produce sufficient convincing evidence, and had exceeding its authority as well as relevant laws by both the reasoning behind the fine and its size.     [FULL  STORY]