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Lee steps in fray over Liu search order

President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) gave the press a tongue-lashing yesterday as more questions were raised over possible political motives behind the Monday search of the home of former KMT heavyweight Liu Sung-fan (劉松藩), who announced his support of independent presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) on Jan. 25.

Responding to questioning by reporters on whether the KMT is persecuting Liu by ordering a search of his home, Lee responded angrily: "[The] KMT has paid respect to the justice system; the judiciary is independent -- stop talking nonsense."

Lee made the remarks at the KMT's weekly central standing committee meeting.

KMT spokesman Huang Hwei-chen (黃輝珍) yesterday also stepped into the fray by seconding Lee.

During the news conference after the meeting, Huang dismissed the idea that the raid on Liu's house was politically motivated and slammed the press for trying to smear the KMT.

"The KMT has no intention of either supporting or opposing the judge's decision to order the search,'' Huang said.

To show that the judiciary was impartial, Huang reminded reporters that the KMT mayor of Changhua, Chen Chieh (陳杰), as well as the head of the party's Lien-Siew Changhua campaign headquarters, had been previously detained by prosecutors on suspicion of corruption.

"If the KMT really can exert influence on the judiciary, how could a pro-KMT official be taken into custody?'' Huang asked.

Meanwhile, Chen Chin-hsin (陳進興), the pro-Soong former chief of the department of civil affairs under the Taiwan Provincial Government, said yesterday he is considering the feasibility of filing a lawsuit against Vice President and KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰) for slander.

The issue arose after Lien's statement that he had "taken care" of some legal problems for Chen Chin-hsin while Lien was chairman of the provincial government.

Speaking during a radio interview, Chen Chin-hsin said that during his 20-year political career he had only been involved in a court case once, over a rental arrangement for a piece of land, but that the court had found in his favor.

Chen Chin-hsin said that Lien should further explain what he was referring to, otherwise he would have to consider taking legal action.

In other developments, one day after the protest at the Tai-chung district court, the independent pro-Soong legislator Shen Chih-hui (沈智慧) yesterday paid a visit to the Judicial Yuan to express his concern over the way the judiciary was handling matters related to the election.

The secretary-general of the Judicial Yuan, Yang Jen-shou (楊仁壽), said the justice system was impartial, however, and when hearing highly political and sensitive cases, judges must be extremely careful to follow the letter of the law.
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