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.
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
RSS