A Taiwanese appeals court has again cleared a local village chief accused of taking Chinese-funded trips to sway voters, a setback for prosecutors trying to use Taiwan's anti-infiltration law.

• Ho Chi-sheng, an independent village chief in Changhua's Hemei Township, organized group trips to Chongqing for fellow village chiefs before the 2024 presidential election.
• Travelers paid only for flights; Chinese bodies covered food, lodging, transport and tours, and Chinese officials and Taiwanese businesspeople joined the banquets.
• Prosecutors said the trips were a bribe to push support for specific candidates, but both courts found no proof the free hospitality was traded for votes.
• Most participants said they heard no pitch for any candidate, and some witnesses contradicted themselves or changed their stories in court.
• Judges also found no evidence Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office directed or funded the trips.

Outlook: Prosecutors can still appeal, but the ruling shows how hard it is to win anti-infiltration cases without a clear money-for-votes link.