Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday said that prosecutors are not obligated to report to lawmakers and answer their questions and urged lawmakers not to "make the same mistake" again.
The Legislature's Judiciary Committee yesterday invited Chen and Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office Prosecutor-General Chu Nan (
"Please be advised! The Interpretation Article 325 to the Constitution clearly states that prosecutors stay neutral while they are investigating a case. Interpretation Article 461 also said that prosecutors are not obligated to report to any government offices to answer any government officials' questions," Chen said. "As a result, I told Chu not to come today."
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said that only prosecutor generals or the state public prosecutor general has the authorization to order other prosecutors or ask them to brief a case. Other than this, prosecutors are not responsible to anybody.
"This is clearly stated in the law. Please respect this," he said.
The minister said that he hoped that it would not happen again.
"This is a mistake and I hope that the same mistake will not be repeated," he said.
Chen's remarks at the meeting yesterday morning stunned lawmakers.
PFP Legislator Chou His-wei (
"Please be advised as well that you guys, including prosecutors, belong to the Cabinet. However, Cabinet members are all obligated to report to the Legislative Yuan and answer lawmakers' questions. That is also stated in the Constitution. How dare you? You told us not to make the same mistake again but I also want to tell you to respect the system and respect the Legislative Yuan," Chou said.
"Even though Chu is absent today, our questions for him still exist and we will keep inviting him to join our meetings in the near future," Chou said.
Chen did not respond to Chou's protest as the meeting continued. However, Chou had to dismiss the meeting a few minutes later because there was another quarrel between DPP Legislator Liu Chun-hsiung (
Su was complaining to Chen that Kaohsiung prosecutors had overlooked a suspect in their investigation. He said that he possessed evidence to prove that a particular suspect was guilty and hoped that law enforcement officers would re-investigate it.
While Su was complaining, he implied that the "overlooked suspect" was Liu.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS