Judicial Yuan President Lai In-jaw (賴英照) has tendered his resignation to take responsibility for a corruption scandal involving three judges, the Judicial Yuan said yesterday.
In a statement, the judicial branch said that Lai tendered his resignation to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Friday, but the president has yet to approve it.
Three Taiwan High Court judges — Chen Jung-ho (陳榮和), Lee Chun-ti (李春地) and Tsai Kuang-chih (蔡光治) — and Banciao Prosecutor Chiu Mao-jung (邱茂榮) were detained on Wednesday on suspicion they had accepted bribes when handling four charges against former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝), who also once served as Miaoli County commissioner.
The judges allegedly took bribes in return for acquitting Ho of corruption charges, including accusations that he took bribes in a land development project in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼) 10 years ago that had earned him a 19-year jail sentence and a NT$220 million (US$6.8 million) fine from a lower court.
Judicial reform groups have called for senior judicial officials to take responsibility in the wake of the scandal and resign.
Taiwan High Court Chief Justice Huang Shui-tong (黃水通) has already tendered his resignation to the Judicial Yuan.
“Lai believes that he himself should take the political responsibility, and that there is no reason for Huang to take sole responsibility,” the Judicial Yuan’s statement said, adding that Lai has asked Ma to quickly approve his resignation.
If it is approved, he will also approve Huang’s resignation, the statement said.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday said the president would discuss the issue with Lai, declining to confirm whether Ma would accept Lai's resignation.
“President Ma will continue talking with Lai. We have no further comment [on whether Ma will accept Lai's resignation,]” he said.
Ma remained silent yesterday when approached by reporters for comment.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Huang had to resign to take responsibility, but that Lai could stay to carry out judicial reforms.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Special Investigation Panel under the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office said yesterday that they suspected Ho was still in the country.
Ho fled from his residence in Miaoli County just before investigators reached his house early on Tuesday and has not been seen since.
Prosecutors have put Ho on the wanted list.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS