Lawmaker wants prosecutor to step down over scandal

Lawmaker Li Ching-hua (李慶華), yesterday called on the country's top prosecutor to step down for not properly handling the investigation into the murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓).

"If State Public Prosecutor General Lu Ren-fa (盧仁發) still stays in office, there will not be any breakthrough in the investigation of the case," Li said. Lu is the convener of a task force specially formed for the case.

Li criticized Lu for what he said was Lu's runaround attitude to handling the investigation.

"I do not think that Lu is serious about the case. Lu has been making all sorts of excuses [about why he will not do this or will not do that]. If the investigation is to go on in this way, the task force had better be disbanded," Li said.

Li criticized Lu yesterday after failing to obtain agreement from Lu to grant safety assurances to a key witness in the Yin case, who now lives in Germany and who was said by Li to be willing to return to Taiwan to testify in court.

Tu Cheng Chun-chu (涂鄭春菊), the witness, is supposed to have useful information about what might have triggered the Yin murder seven years ago, as well as about who might have been involved in the murder.

Tu, a German citizen, came to Taiwan seven years ago, representing a German company, to negotiate with the navy about the contract for the provision of spare parts for four minesweepers Taiwan bought from Germany.

Tu was the person Yin was said to have intended to visit on the day he went missing. Tu left the country several days after she was informed of Yin's death.

Li, a member of the People's First Party, has just returned to Taiwan from a trip to Germany, bringing back word from Tu that she is willing to come back and testify in court.

Tu was quoted by Li as saying yesterday that she will return only under condition that her personal safety will be guaranteed.

"Tu is willing to testify in court along with other important witnesses, including ex-navy captain Kuo Li-heng (郭力恆), ex-navy commander Kuo Hsi (郭璽), and arms agent Shan Yi-chen (單亦誠)," Li said.

Li expressed disappointment over investigation task force convener Lu's failure to approve Tu's request. "Do they think Tu will not be of help to the resolution of the case?" Li asked.

Ex-Criminal Investigation Bureau director Yang Tzu-chin (楊子敬), who had been in charge of the Yin investigation, previously said that Tu may not be a trustworthy witness since she had been evasive about key points of the murder when undergoing voluntary questioning outside Taiwan after the murder.