The Judicial Yuan has accepted the resignations of four judges who were involved in two separate adultery scandals, the Taipei District Court said yesterday.
A court spokesman said the approval of the four judges' resignations is part of the Judicial Yuan's efforts to protect the image of the judiciary.
According to media reports, a married Taipei District Court judge surnamed Chang fell in love with a married female judge surnamed Lei from the Hsinchu District Court while they were taking part in a short-term study program in the US two years ago. Both of their spouses are prosecutors.
Lei gave birth to a daughter last year. Her husband secretly had the girl undergo a DNA test after noticing that she hardly resembled him in appearance. The test results revealed that the girl was not related to him by blood.
The husband reportedly became so distraught that he planned to leave the judicial profession. He stated the reason in his resignation letter, but he later accepted his colleagues' advice and decided to stay on in his post.
With assistance from lawyers, the prosecutor and his wife are negotiating how to resolve their marital and child custody issues, judicial sources said.
Meanwhile, the sources said, Chang has kept a low profile since his extramarital affair with Lei was exposed in the letter of resignation. He reportedly will respect his wife's wishes regarding the fate of their marriage.
In the other adultery case, a married Taipei District Court chief judge surnamed Chen became involved in an affair with a junior female judge under his guidance. The unmarried judge gave birth to a child in September.
As none of the spouses of those involved in the two adultery cases have filed criminal suits against any party, the district court spokesman said, the four judges should not be regarded as having committed any crime.
Nevertheless, the spokesman said, the district court's disciplinary committee will hold a meeting next week to mete out punishment to the three judges under its jurisdiction even though the Judicial Yuan has already approved their resignations.
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