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Salvaging reputations by stopping speculation

During a recent interview, former navy commander-in-chief Yeh Chang-tung (葉昌桐) seemed terribly weak and overwhelmed by mixed feelings. Who would have thought that he would be wrapped up in such a scandal after a lifetime of service to this country?

A new law prohibiting public disclosure of criminal investigation has just been enacted this year. But, one can hardly sense the law's presence. The media report that many high-ranking military officials are seriously implicated -- yet no substantive evidence exists for such claims. All we have so far are unverified rumors and speculation among the media and others.

Investigation should go only as far as the evidence takes us. We should not engage in speculation and innuendo not supported by evidence. Otherwise, the damage to innocent parties could be incalculable. Reputation holds no less importance than life itself to many. Even if the person is subsequently found innocent, the damage is beyond repair.

Yeh's reputation has been seriously damaged. Even on his sick bed, Yeh worries about the damage done to the reputation of the entire navy. He believes that the navy has been shamed and disgraced by the still unsolved murder of Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓). It may be said that damage is borne not just by the individual navy officials implicated, but the entire service.

It seems that all navy-related news recently has involved murders and scandals. Continuous negative reporting no doubt deepens the general public's negative impression.

According to media reports, the web of intrigue behind the Yin case may be complicated beyond our imagination and there may have been numerous accomplices. The question remains, according to the media, just how far up the navy ranks the intrigue stretches. That being the case, we cannot analyze the matter from the standpoint of individual culpability.

A core question is how can such a major scandal drag on for six years without any breakthrough? The only explanation may be obstruction of the investigation by high-ranking government officials or bureaucrats. To solve the case, therefore, requires the full support of political leaders. To avoid scape-goating the entire navy, society at large needs a complete and unbiased investigative report. The report should focus on evidence and comply with procedural justice, while disregarding the status and rank of those involved. The circulation of unverified information must cease during investigation.

The Chou Jen-tsen (周人蔘) case of 1996 is similar to that of Yin. The Chou case caused many high-ranking police officials to step down -- devastating the police community. Not only was police morale seriously damaged, but the entire law enforcement system almost fell apart. It also brought forward major reforms to the organizational culture of law enforcement. Although improvements in police discipline were gratifying, the abruptness of the changes resulted in a focus on discipline over criminal investigation.

The resulting strict enforcement of the ban against the arcade industry indirectly led to the Chen Chin-hsing (陳進興) case. Chen lost his livelihood when his arcade shop was shut down. The low morale and changes to the nature of criminal investigations made many investigative efforts fruitless.

In view of the harsh lessons from the Chou case, the investigation of the Yin murder must conclude soon.

Find the real culprit, so the entire navy won't be made a scapegoat and our society won't have to pay a dear price in the process.

Yang Yung-nane is a professor in the department of administrative management of the Central Police University.
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