“As far as I understand, the president will not interfere with the judiciary directly because the establishment of an independent judicial system is not easy,” Chan said.
Wu also relayed DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) concerns about the custody system and the government’s respect of human rights during his meeting with Chan, and presented a written statement on the issues.
Chan said he would give the statement to Ma when the president returns from his trip to Central America, adding that Ma was still interested in meeting Tsai and discussing such issues with her face to face.
Commenting on the letter, KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) criticized the former president, saying that Chen Shui-bian was trying to manipulate his case.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) urged Chen Shui-bian to plead guilty as soon as possible instead of resorting to all kinds of “tricks” to influence the case.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the decision by Taipei prosecutors
“All of Chen’s family is barred from leaving the country. The public believes they are facing political persecution,” DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) told a press conference yesterday.
He said the party cared about Chen Hsing-yu and was sympathetic to her cause, adding the party considered the ban unnecessary.
Chen Hsing-yu was not a major player in the Chen family case. The ban had hit her seriously and affected her career, and the party hoped prosecutors could reconsider the decision, the spokesman added.
He said the DPP requested that the government amend the Criminal Procedure Code soon, limiting the court’s right to detain defendants, particularly before their trials have begun.
At a separate setting, DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) said the DPP caucus had sympathy for Chen Hsing-yu.
When prosecutors investigated President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) over his use of special allowances during his time as Taipei mayor, prosecutors never summoned Ma’s daughters for questioning or prohibited them from leaving the country, but allowed them to stay abroad during the investigation, Lai said, adding prosecutors treated former president Chen and Ma with different standards.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND JENNY W. HSU
Also See: Parents spark row over Chen grandson
RSS