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Anti-graft task force hits the streets; will focus on top officials

The Ministry of Justice formed a special task force yesterday to collect evidence in suspected cases of graft or corruption involving senior government officials, judicial personnel or other public functionaries in sensitive positions.

Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) said the special squad will initially target about 10 judges and prosecutors suspected of involvement in graft.

Noting that the launch of the special squad epitomizes the government's determination to crack down on official corruption and establish clean politics, Chen said the team will mainly focus on investigating high-ranking government officials and judicial personnel, as well as other civil servants in certain sensitive posts.

Ministry officials said the establishment of the graft-fighting squad is a government response to opposition criticism that the ministry usually targets comparatively minor -- rather than major -- official corruption cases and has so far failed to pinpoint any crucial "index" graft cases.

The special squad will be manned by justice ministry staff members responsible for government ethics and will be supervised by the ministry's Government Ethics Department.

Officials said ordinary citizens are welcome to provide leads. The public can call (02) 2316-7586 to report suspicious activities by officials. Once a reported case is accepted, the squad will contact the informant within 24 hours and send staffers to interview the informant within 72 hours.

The officials further said the squad will not adopt paparazzi-style operations, so as not to infringe on the personal privacy of the targets of the investigations.

"In any event, all squad members will operate within the scope of the law," said an official with the ministry's Government Ethics Department.
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