Taichung judges yesterday afternoon asked prosecutors to refile their detention request against Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) member Lin Chung-cheng (
Taichung prosecutors filed their request at the Taichung District Court yesterday because they suspect that Lin accepted bribes in return for insider information on the stock market, which he had access to as an FSC member.
However, the request was declined at around 3pm because judges said the request should be filed in Taipei.
"Lin allegedly committed his crime in Taipei, not Taichung," the Taichung District Court explained.
According to Taichung District Prosecutors' Office Spokesman Chang Hung-mo (
Chang did not elaborate on the amount that Lin allegedly accepted.
FSC Chairman Shih Jun-ji (
Regardless of whether Lin is detained or released on bail, the commission would recommend that the Cabinet approve Lin's resignation, Shih said.
Shih said the FSC would review cases in which Lin had been involved if he was found to have acted improperly.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday that the FSC "needs fixing."
"This place [the FSC] is rotten. It needs to be fixed," Su said. "When I appointed Shih Jun-ji as chairman of the FSC, I told him to get the job done and he is trying his best to accomplish that. I will not [remove him from his post] -- that is for sure."
Su made the remarks on the legislative floor.
"If [Lin] is guilty, we will punish him as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said that DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun would present a proposal at the party's Central Standing Committee meeting today suggesting that Lin be sent to the party's Central Review Committee for punishment. The proposal recommends that Lin be expelled from the party.
Earlier yesterday, Yu told the press that the DPP always applies "the highest standard" to all of its party members.
As to how the party will deal with Lin, Yu said he would leave the decision to the committee. At a press conference held by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday Lin's case was used to assert that corruption has become “second nature,” in the DPP government.
“Lin, a former legislator-at-large, had represented the DPP for three terms in the Legislature. The DPP has to apologize for its nomination of Lin if the accusations against him are proved correct,” KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping(徐少萍) said.
DPP Legislator Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) was reported by the Chinese-language < yesterday as saying that recent investigations in connection with financial crimes reflected Premier Su wish to distance himself from President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) who is facing allegations of corruption.
Kao yesterday denied the report and said that what he meant was that “[prosecutors] might be driven by the recent anti-corruption atmosphere to launch such investigations as they think [their superiors] might like that.”
Additional reporting by Flora Wang and Amber Chuang
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