Investigations into alleged misuse of discretionary special allowance funds by several prominent figures in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have formally begun, prosecutorial sources said yesterday.
The special investigation panel under the Supreme Prosecutors Office formally assigned the cases to two teams of prosecutors on Saturday for intensive probes, the sources said.
According to sources, the case involving Judicial Yuan President Weng Yueh-sheng's (
Only last month Chu determined that charges should not be brought against Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) in a similar case.
Meanwhile, the cases involving the four DPP aspirants for the next presidency -- Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) -- were all assigned to three other prosecutors -- Hou Kuan-jen (侯寬仁), Shen Ming-lun (沈明倫) and Chou Shih-yu (周士榆).
Hou's team will also handle a similar case involving another DPP bigwig -- National Security Council Secretary-General Mark Chen (
Hou was the key figure behind the indictment of former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
The indictment forced Ma to resign as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Ma has denied any wrongdoing.
Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南), a spokesman for the special investigation panel, said probes into six prominent politicians' special affairs funds would get underway simultaneously.
The three prosecutors of each team will work together while receiving support and assistance, if necessary, from the special investigation panel. As a result, Chen Yun-nan said, investigations would proceed faster than before.
In fact, he said, the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Center under the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, had already done some of the ground work with regards to the special fund misuse allegations against the six politicians.
Subsequent probes by the two new teams of prosecutors will shift into high gear after chief prosecutors from around the country meet later this month to flesh out a coherent set of guidelines for tackling all similar "special affairs funds" misuse cases, thereby avoiding inconsistencies and confusion, he said.
All the special affairs funds misuse probes arose following the high-profile probe involving President Chen Shui-bian (
Wu was indicted last November on charges of misappropriating money from a secret government fund set aside for diplomatic missions or initiatives. Wu has pleaded innocent.
Probes of both Wu and Ma were initiated by political opponents who publicized evidence of alleged wrongdoing.
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