Taiwan's top court on Friday upheld a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence imposed on a former military intelligence chief on corruption charges.

The Supreme Court in a final ruling rejected an appeal filed by ex-Lieutenant General Ke Guang-ming who was found guilty of embezzling Tw$3.7 million ($123,000) of government funds in 2008.

In 2010, a military court sentenced Ke to 14 years in prison, but the case was passed to the High Court, which in May reduced his jail term on grounds that he had confessed and had not spent the money on himself.

Ke gave some of the money to his subordinates and instructed his secretary to keep the remaining amount at his home after Ke's term with the bureau ended, according to the court.

He was taken into custody in 2010 but was later released on bail.

Taiwan has been rocked by a string of high-profile corruption cases involving top officials in recent years, including ex-president Chen Shui-bian, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term on multiple graft convictions.

In 2009, a retired lieutenant-general was sentenced to 10 years and four months in prison on charges of bribery, blackmail and leaking secrets in one of the island's worst military scandals, prompting defence authorities to launch a corruption crackdown.