The Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee yesterday concluded that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) was not guilty of improper lobbying and that he would not be reprimanded.
The resolution was passed by seven DPP lawmakers in a meeting chaired by DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), with none of the eight Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers attending.
The 16-member committee held its fourth meeting on the case, in which Ker was accused of improper lobbying on a legal case that involved Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), then-minister of justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) and Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office head prosecutor Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌).
The case later developed into the so-called “September strife,” with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) allegedly using it as a political tool to remove the legislative speaker.
Chen Shou-huang yesterday testified before the meeting and denied helping Ker to lobby prosecutors not to appeal a not-guilty verdict in a breach of trust case.
Chen said Ker never contacted him and that he did not ask the prosecutor in charge of Ker’s case not to appeal.
Tseng, who resigned amid the controversy, did not attend the meeting, nor did Huang or Wang.
However, Huang and Wang both submitted written statements to the committee, with Wang saying that he called Chen and Tseng to “remind” them about the potentially malicious prosecution.
“My telephone conversations with Chen and Tseng were not lobbying,” Wang wrote, adding that evidence obtained through illegal means should be invalidated, referring to the Special Investigation Division’s (SID) illegal wiretapping of his telephone.
Six of the eight KMT lawmakers signed in for the meeting, but all were absent when the resolution was put to a vote, committee staffers said.
The resolution, which is to be sent to a plenary session for approval, concluded that the accusations against Ker should be dropped because the convener only complained to Wang about his legal case and he had never made phone calls to judicial officials.
Ker, who had proclaimed his innocence from the beginning of the controversy, reported to the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee on Sept. 19, demanding a thorough investigation to clear his name.
He delivered a 45-minute testimony in the committee’s third meeting on Nov. 15 and submitted a 200-page report.
Responding to the resolution, Ker said he respected the committee’s decision, while KMT caucus whip Lin hung-chih (林鴻池) said the caucus would demand another review at the plenary session.
KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) yesterday expressed regret over the committee’s decision.
“The KMT respects the legislature’s self-regulation, but the public will examine the committee’s decision,” he said.
Yang said the DPP has underestimated the public by covering up for Ker and he urged the party to remain neutral on the case.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a