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Prosecutor loses sleep over Chao case

When a reporter jokingly told Taipei prosecutor Hsu Yung-chin (徐永欽) "the nation's future is in your hands," he smiled.

Among the more than 800 prosecutors nationwide, only a few ever get the chance to take charge of such a high-profile case during their career. But Hsu has been assigned several, including the investigation into the "vultures" insider trading scandal, which indicted former director-general of the Financial Supervisory Commission's (FSC) Examination Bureau Lee Chin-chen (李進誠) for corruption, and the probe of former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) who was indicted in several corruption scandals.

His latest case is the alleged insider trading of Taiwan Development Corp (TDC) shares involving President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son in-law Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘).

In 2004, Hsu was one of the two prosecutors who took charge of and indicted Mosel Vitelic Inc (茂矽) chairman Hu Hung-chiu (胡洪九) over his involvement in a NT$18 billion (US$562.5 million) fraud case.

Hsu is a tough man who takes his defendants to task during investigations if they try to ignore evidence and deny any involvement in their crimes.

He said that he told Hu Hung-chiu during the investigation that "what you did was very wrong."

Until now Chao has denied any guilt in the scandal. But during the first hearing, Hsu showed Chao the statement of Waterland Securities Co director Tsai Chin-wen (蔡清文), proving that the prosecutors had solid evidence against him. Chao still denied any wrongdoing.

When the prosecutor filled in the application form for holding Chao in custody, he wrote on it "power corrupts."

Hsu did not blame Chao during the hearing but it was Hsu who applied to have Chao detained, shocking the nation.

With Chao's detention and in the face of the snowballing TDC scandal, Hsu admitted he has been under intense pressure.

Busy analyzing the case, gathering more evidence and questioning suspects and witnesses, he said that he has not had enough sleep over the past three weeks.

Hsu was assigned to take charge of serious financial crimes because of his outstanding ability and his specialty in finance.

Hsu received his doctorate in finance law from the law school of National Taipei University in 2004.

"Doctor" became his nickname in the office after he began the doctoral program.

But Hsu has another side. He is a funny man who likes to crack jokes around the office.

He comes from Lukang (鹿港), a small town on Taiwan's central west coast, and speaks Taiwanese with a regional accent.

Hsu is also known in the office as a good husband and father to his wife and young daughter.

Hsu lamented that as a father, Chao may miss the birth of his third child which is due next month. But as a prosecutor, Hsu has to continue with his heavy workload.
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