Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) said yesterday that Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chou Chang-chin (周章欽) has "talked too much" about the bribery case of the Kaohsiung City Council speakership election to the media.
While attending the DPP's Administrative Reform Seminar at the International Convention Center yesterday, DPP Legislator Cho Jung-tai (
"I do not know what the prosecutors were thinking," Cho said. "Investigations shall not be made public. I think this is common sense and is regulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法).
"It was obvious that prosecutors were trying to take advantage of free propaganda by the media. I do not know why they were doing this. I think they should be more careful about the process while they were investigating a criminal case like this."
Chen said he has heard the same complaint from officials at the Ministry of Justice and that he will "do something about it" as soon as possible.
"I followed the story myself by watching TV news coverage every day and I also noticed that Chou sometimes talked too much," Chen said. "The ministry will ask him not to do so again through our administrative mechanism within the shortest time period."
In addition, Chen said that he has heard similar complaints from the public that prosecutors leaked too much information during the investigation. The ministry will ask prosecutors to be more careful in the future.
"If prosecutors update the public with the progress they have made and the evidence they possess during the investigation, it will only create more difficulties for them to look for more evidence, arrest other suspects or wrap up the case. It is not a proper way to behave," Chen said.
However, Chen said that it is not fair to blame the prosecutors exclusively, because some reporters still come up with stories even though prosecutors haven't said a word.
"I must say, some of the so-called `in-depth' stories were made up by reporters rather than leaked by prosecutors," Chen added.
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