A former Taiwanese military research institute employee has been sentenced to 10 months for inflating a repair contract and pocketing the difference — a small case, but a bad look for defense procurement oversight.

• A security officer at the Chungshan Institute's missile and rocket research arm told a vendor to raise a milling machine repair quote from about NT$89,000 to NT$162,000.
• The job closed at NT$147,000, and he took NT$57,000 in cash as a kickback, handed over in Taoyuan.
• He argued it was just an administrative habit and that supervisors had approved the purchase anyway.
• The vendor testified the officer's reputation for demanding padded quotes was known before they ever met, and LINE messages backed that up.

Outlook: The Taichung High Court rejected his appeal and upheld the breach of trust conviction, so the case is now closed.