The minister of justice could be ready to abolish the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Division (SID), which has been embroiled in a number of high-profile controversies, and the move might come later this year if the law is changed.
Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) appears to have given his blessing when he responded to a written statement by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Yu-yi (蔡易餘), who demanded that the SID be scrapped for political interference and a lack of checks and balances to guard against abuse of its investigative powers.
The Ministry of Justice gave Tsai a written reply, in which it recommended that the Legislative Yuan scrap Article 63, Item 1 of the Organic Act of Courts (法院組織法), which was the legal basis for the SID’s establishment in 2007.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Tsai yesterday confirmed that he had received the statement and said he had initiated the amendment and gathered support from fellow DPP legislators.
“We will request that the DPP legislative caucus make this amendment a priority for deliberation at the upcoming legislative session starting next month. If this is done, we could get it through a third reading by October at the earliest,” Tsai told reporters.
However, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said Chiu was responding to questions by a legislator by providing his opinion and analysis, rather than announcing an official decision.
“The ministry is handling this issue very carefully, and we are reviewing all aspects of consideration regarding the SID. We have not made any equivocal decision on the future of the SID,” Chen said.
Prosecutor-General Yen Ta-ho (顏大和) and SID spokesman Kuo Wen-tung (郭文東) said they had no opinion on the matter.
The SID was set up to investigate corruption and major crimes by high-level government officials, such as the corruption probe against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and has been involved in several controversial cases, such as the wiretapping of telephone conversations between then-legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).
“The SID was subverted by then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to allow him to politically manipulate the judiciary. It has been embroiled in too many cases that had political motives in its selective prosecution. The public has lost trust in this body, and therefore it is time to abolish it,” Tsai said.
Legal experts have criticized the SID and called for the abolition of the body, saying it is illegitimate, unconstitutional and creates problems for the prosecutorial system.
“The SID has failed to accomplish its mission of probing corruption cases involving high-ranking government officials,” lawyer Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍) said. “It chose to selectively prosecute ex-president Chen and officials in past DPP administrations.”
Cheng said the SID is a malfunctioning body, that it infringes on the Constitution and that it has been used as a tool by politicians to pursue their political agenda.
The Philippine Coast Guard yesterday said it has deployed its largest vessel and an aircraft to challenge a Chinese research ship operating off northern Batanes near Taiwan, adding that a Chinese coast guard vessel had also moved in. The Philippine operation “disrupted the vessel’s unauthorized marine scientific research and compelled it to leave its loitering position,” said Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on South China Sea issues. The Philippine Coast Guard said the BRP Teresa Magbanua and an aircraft were deployed to counter the Chinese vessel, which it said had remained about 37 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat Island since Monday. The
PLEA: How the UN addresses Taiwan’s security issue would be a test of its strength and relevance, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine told the UN General Assembly Only Taiwan’s elected government can represent the people of Taiwan, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said on Friday at the UN General Assembly, calling for the nation’s inclusion in the UN. Taiwan and its 23 million people are a reality, and only its democratically elected government can represent it, Heine said when addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly General Debate. Appropriate ways must be found for Taiwan’s substantive participation in UN meetings if the UN is to be truly inclusive and effective in years to come, she said. UN member states would experience pressure to accept a
RESILIENCE: Keeping the defense industry’s assembly lines open would prove essential should the nation be involved in a prolonged conflict, a source said The Ministry of National Defense has prepared a NT$22 billion (US$692.3 million) program to acquire about 200 improved Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles from next year to 2035, a source said. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a high-ranking defense official said the ministry’s plan for enhanced-capability Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III missiles would be funded as part of the regular defense budget. The 200 missiles would be added on top of the 1,400 missiles being funded via the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan, they said. The program is not about padding missile numbers, but expanding the capability to defeat
DEFENSE: The US House speaker dismissed speculation that Trump is using arms sales as a negotiating tactic with Beijing amid concern over delayed deliveries Taiwan is a partner whose “stability and independence” are important to US national security and the economy, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday when asked about arms sales to Taipei in an interview with Fox Business. Asked whether US President Donald Trump was using a long-delayed US$14 billion arms deal as a negotiating tactic for trade with Beijing, Johnson said that he “wouldn’t read too much into that.” The delayed arms package is “related to the Iran conflict” and the need for missile stocks in the Middle East, he said. “If you look over [Trump’s] two terms, he will
RSS