Control Yuan reprimands prosecutors and Taipei police

The prosecutors' office of the Panchiao District Court and the Taipei City Police Department were censured by the Control Yuan yesterday in connection with the issuing and use of blank search warrants and an alleged conspiracy to commit blackmail.

Both agencies were censured for abuses of their law enforcement powers. The police department was also censured for failing to prevent three of its officers from breaking the law.

Investigators said that the pro-secutors' office had failed to monitor and control the process by which search warrants are issued, while the police department had failed to oversee the operations of its Tienmu Police Station.

Last March three officers -- Chuang Chi-cheng (莊志誠), Wang Sheng-hui (王勝輝) and Lin Fu-jan (林副任) -- from the Tienmu station along with a civilian, Liu Jiunn-liang (劉俊良), searched the home of a suspected drug dealer, Chen Ying-an (陳盈安), in Neihu (內湖). They carried out the search based on a warrant issued by prosecutor Chen Ming-hsiang (陳銘祥).

A small package of amphetamines and items commonly associated with the use of drugs, such as surgical needles, cigarette lighters and pipes were found during the search.

The Control Yuan said that while Chuang and his colleagues filed one apparently standard report containing details of the search, they also had a blank report which they were preparing to use during the search to blackmail the brother of Chen Ying-an -- Chen Ying-jan (陳瀅仁) -- at the scene.

The alleged blackmail effort involved demanding money in lieu of charging Chen Ying-jan with drug dealing.

"Chuang and another colleague, Chen Wei-biao (陳偉彪), were caught at the scene by the investigators when they were about to take the money," said Control Yuan member Huang Chin-jenn (黃勤鎮).

"The investigators found this pack of amphetamines, the tools, two reports and five blank search warrants issued by the prosecutor," Huang said.

Chuang was immediately dis-missed from the police depart-ment. He is under investigation by the prosecutors' office of the Shihlin District Court.

The law does not entitle members of the public to search the properties of other citizens.

"I may have issued as many as seven search warrants," prosecutor Chen responded when questioned by Control Yuan members.

Investigators said, however, that eight warrants had been issued.

Officials told the Control Yuan members that the prosecutor had initially only admitted issuing one blank search order at the beginning of the investigation.

A hearing will be held to decide whether Chen should be disciplined. The date for the hearing has not yet been set.

The most serious action the Control Yuan can take against Chen is impeachment.