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.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
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