Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday denied media reports that the director of the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau was to be replaced.
Local media reported yesterday that the bureau's current chief, Wang Kuang-yu (王光宇), was to be replaced by a district court prosecutor general.
"I have no opinion on whether the bureau's director should be replaced," Chen said to the media in reaction to the report, "as long as the one appointed is suitable for the position."
Analysts said that Chen's remarks give the impression that he has no influence over the appointment of a bureau head within his ministry.
Rumors that Wang Kuang-yu wants to quit have been widespread.
A local magazine last week also reported that the deputy director of the bureau, Yeh Sheng-mao (葉盛茂), was to be promoted to take his bosses' position because of his good relations with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Local media reported that the "authority" decided to appoint a prosecutor general to the position because of concerns that the bureau may be turning into a law-enforcement group as opposed to the intelligence agency it is supposed to be.
The bureau is overseen jointly by the justice ministry and the National Security Bureau, which is in turn supervised by the National Security Council under the chairmanship of the president.
The president was traditionally the person responsible for appointing the bureau's director.
If the reports prove to be true, the move will mark the first time that a director of the bureau has been chosen from the ranks of the prosecution system.
The reports also added that the chosen prosecutor general has already agreed to the appointment.
But Chen Ding-nan yesterday said he has not been notified regarding any personnel changes at the bureau.
Asked by the media, however, if an appointment of a prosecutor to the position of bureau director would be a big help to the ministry's crackdown on "black gold" crimes, Chen said it would not necessarily be so.
"It depends on the person, not from where they are," he said.
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