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Indicted legislator elected head of judicial committee

Despite complaints from the ruling party and legislative reform groups, indicted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝) was elected head of the legislature's judicial committee yesterday.

Ho has been indicted for corruption, theft and breach of trust, for which prosecutors have recommended an 18-year prison sentence.

Ho allegedly filed a loan application at the Hsinchu Commercial Bank in 1995 while he was Miaoli County commissioner because his wife was campaigning for the legislature and needed more funds.

The bank allegedly approved his application and paid him NT$300 million, although Ho's credit rating did not qualify him for such a large loan.

In 1997, Ho again took advantage of his position to allegedly approve a construction proposal by the Chiuchun Development Co, although the company failed to propose a complete environmental protection plan for the project in Miaoli County.

Prosecutors claim that Ho received a bribe of NT$320 million from the company.

Questioning Ho's appointment, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiang Chao-yi (江昭儀) proposed replacing Ho with someone "more qualified and less questionable."

Although his proposal was backed by his colleagues, it failed to pass the committee because it was unable to achieve a quorum.

In addition to Ho, DPP Legislator Yu Ching (尤清) and People First Party (PFP) Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) also won the backing of committee members to lead the board.

DPP legislator and former judge Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said that although his party respected the result of cross-party negotiations whereby each caucus would recommend its own candidates, it would refuse to serve as a rubber stamp for other legislative caucuses.

"We do not have any problem with the candidate recommended by other parties, but we expect them to exercise prudence in making the nomination," he said.

"While the KMT has many lawmakers with legal expertise, I am puzzled as to why it favors Ho," Wu said.

DPP Legislator Lin Chin-hsing (林進興) said that lawmakers entangled in litigation must avoid conflict of interest by shunning the judicial committee, let alone leading the committee.

"I hereby condemn the KMT's recommendation of Ho as its representative on the committee, and I would like to see him replaced," he said.

In response, Ho said that the DPP caucus is simply "making trouble for no reason."

"It is true that I have been indicted, but it does not necessarily mean that I am guilty," he said.

DPP lawmakers have alleged that Ho made threats against the anti-graft center and asked the Prosecutor's Office to revoke their vote-buying and bribery indictments in exchange for their cooperation in approving the budget.

KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世) asked the DPP to exercise self-control and stop the smear campaign.

"While we will strictly supervise Ho's performance in the committee, we will ask the DPP to apologize if it continues with this smear campaign," he said.
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