President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday accepted the resignation of Judicial Yuan President Lai In-jaw (賴英照) over a corruption scandal involving judges, but Ma asked Lai to stay on as a grand justice.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said Lai tendered his resignation on Friday in the midst of a corruption scandal in which three Taiwan High Court judges and one prosecutor are suspected of taking bribes from a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker.
The three 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 of corruption when handling four charges against former KMT legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝), who also once served as Miaoli County commissioner.
Judicial reform groups have called for senior judicial officials to take responsibility and resign in the wake of the scandal. Taiwan High Court Chief Justice Huang Shui-tong (黃水通) has already tendered his resignation to the Judicial Yuan.
In a statement on Saturday, the Judicial Yuan said Lai believed there was no reason for Huang to take sole responsibility and that if Lai’s resignation were approved by the president, Lai would also approve Huang’s resignation.
Lai did just that yesterday.
Lo said Ma met Lai at the Presidential Office yesterday morning after receiving Lai’s resignation on Saturday. During the one-hour meeting, Lo said Ma asked Lai to reconsider, praising him as someone who “had ideals, was hard-working and deserved respect.”
However, Lai was determined to resign because he believed the corruption scandal had seriously undermined the reputation of the judiciary, Lo said, adding that Ma respected Lai’s decision.
It was not the first time Lai had offered to resign, Lo said.
Lai tendered his resignation in August last year and last month, citing health reasons, Lo said, but Ma turned down those requests.
Lo said Judicial Yuan Vice President Hsieh Tsai-chuan (謝在全) would become acting Judicial Yuan president as Ma needed time to consult individuals from various circles before making a decision on Lai’s successor.
One thing that was certain was that the president would follow constitutional procedure, he said.
The Constitution states that the president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the legislature.
Despite approving Lai’s resignation as Judicial Yuan president, Lo said Ma asked Lai to stay on as a member of the Council of Grand Justices.
The council has 15 grand justices, including Lai and Hsieh.
Lai told a press conference yesterday: “I am willing to take political responsibility, as the nation’s judges are implicated [in the scandal]. The scandal undermined judges’ morale and they are distressed.”
“Our judges should not be depressed and should work harder to win back public trust,” he said.
The nation’s more than 1,700 judges and 15 grand justices all work very hard, Lai said.
“In my more than two years in office, my coworkers worked hard. The Judicial Yuan did not lag behind other advanced countries in human rights protection and enactment of law,” Lai said.
In a statement, the Judicial Reform Foundation yesterday said it welcomed Lai’s courage in taking responsibility for the scandal.
The foundation said that as Ma weighs who should be Lai’s successor, he should consider whether the candidate will be able to promote judicial reform that meets the public’s expectations.
It said enacting a judges’ act, which could help weed out unqualified judges, is a priority for the Judicial Yuan as well as the legislature and Ma should request the two branches to enact such an act soon.
The bill, approved by the Cabinet on May 13, requires that the Judicial Yuan set up a commission to review performance, appointments, transfers, suspensions and the dismissal of judges, as well as merits and punishments, to make the system more transparent.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it was disappointed by Lai’s decision to resign, adding that he was the best candidate to carry out judicial reform.
“Although there was room for improvement in Lai’s performance, he remains the best-suited candidate to lead judicial reform,” DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said.
Tsai said he was concerned Ma would now appoint a more politically-oriented successor who could further politicize the judiciary.
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) commended Lai for his resignation, saying it was a positive development in judicial reform. Lin said he would actively promote a draft act on establishing an exit mechanism for incompetent judges.
On the possibility of establishing an independent commission against corruption, Lo said Ma was expected to make a decision tomorrow. Creating such a body was one of Ma’s campaign promises. Premier Wu Dun-yih (吳敦義) said on Saturday that such a commission would be established soon.
KMT lawmakers are divided on the proposal to create a new agency dedicated to cracking down on political graft. Opponents argue the proposed agency would be redundant because the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau (MJIB) is already tasked with such a mission.
Supporters say setting up a new agency would enhance operational efficiency and signal the government’s determination to clean up politics.
Commenting on concerns the agency would overlap with the MJIB, Wu said the two units could cooperate to fight corruption.
Critics, meanwhile, say if the government does decide to set up a new anti-corruption agency, it should first explain why the KMT legislative caucus repeatedly boycotted a draft bill on creating such an agency when the party was in opposition between 2000 and 2008.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG, FLORA WANG AND CNA
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS