Hualien prosecutor chief resigns to return to Taipei

Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday approved the resignation of Hualien District Prosecutors' Office Prosecutor-General Chen Uen-li (陳文禮).

The minister decided to approve the resignation around noon and asked the Prosecutorial Affairs Department to assign a substitute immediately and recommend a proper replacement for the job as soon as possible.

Following his resignation, Chen Uen-li will be transferred back to the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office in Taipei, where he worked before. He will work as a prosecutor.

Chen Ding-nan did not publicly comment yesterday on the resignation, although the minister had said on Aug. 5 that he would try to persuade Chen Uen-li not to resign when the prosecutor-general first submitted his resignation to the ministry.

During that conversation with reporters, the minister praised Chen Uen-li for his hard work.

Reports in Chinese-language newspapers have linked the resignation to the recent uproar over Hualien Chief Prosecutor Yang Ta-chih's (楊大智) complaints about the anti-vote buying crackdown launched by Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) ahead of the Hualien County commissioner by-election.

Yang's July 30 press conference, during which he said that the 24-hour random roadside checks of motorists to prevent potential vote-buying were unconstitutional, drew criticism from the justice minister.

Chen Ding-nan said Yang had "talked too much" as a spokesman for the Hualien office.

According to Chen Uen-li, however, his resignation was based on personal reasons. He wanted a transfer back to Taipei so he could spend more time with his family.