The Taiwanese High Court confirmed Thursday a suspended 20-month prison term and fine for Shin Nakagomi, the Japanese former manager of a Taiwanese professional baseball team who was convicted of game-fixing on Aug. 17.
Nakagomi, 40, who once pitched for the Hanshin Tigers, could be required to remain in Taiwan until the fine of 1.8 million New Taiwan dollars is paid pending a decision by prosecutors. He was not in court to hear the verdict.
The court upheld five fraud convictions for the former Brother Elephants pitcher and manager, who was found to have helped rig Chinese Professional Baseball League games between April 2008 and September 2009.
The CPBL is Taiwan's national baseball organization.
The court overturned a lesser conviction of gambling, arguing that such behavior would have required Nakagomi to harbor doubt about the results he was attempting to influence.
But the sentence remained the same as that handed down by the Banciao District Court.
The high court said a suspended sentence is appropriate, given Nakagomi's contrition and that his "baseballing life is finished."
The court said it "believes there is no concern that (the accused) will offend again."
High court spokesman Chen Ching-chiao told reporters the verdict cannot be appealed.
Ahead of the appeal, prosecutors said the CPBL's claim that Nakagomi's suspended sentence was too light and the fine too low was "quite reasonable."