Taiwan's High Court has thrown out the convictions of two lawmakers in the SOGO department store bribery scandal, a win for the defendants and a setback for prosecutors.

• Chen Chao-ming and Hsu Yung-ming were both found guilty at trial and given prison terms of several years; the appeals court has now acquitted them.
• The case grew out of a fight over control of the SOGO retail chain, with lawmakers accused of taking money to sway the outcome.
• Chen called it justice arriving late, describing six years of detention, court dates and smear attacks during three election campaigns.
• Hsu, the former New Power Party chairman, quit the party when the case broke in 2020; the party says he took the political hit and should now get his reputation back.

Outlook: Prosecutors can still appeal to the Supreme Court, so the case is unlikely to be closed for good.