President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his decision to file an appeal in court, insisting that he did the right thing and it was his duty to go forward and not to turn back.
“I did something I am supposed to do and I will proceed without hesitation,” Ma was quoted as saying by Presidential Office Public Affairs Department Director Tsai Chung-li (蔡仲禮), who said Ma made the remarks after learning about public criticism of his decision to appeal.
Ma was referring to the letter of committal for trial his lawyer submitted to the Taipei District Court with regard to a forgery lawsuit Ma filed against Prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen (侯寬仁) in January last year.
Hou was one of the prosecutors probing Ma’s handling of his special allowance funds when Ma was Taipei mayor, minister of justice, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council and other posts.
Ma accused Hou of inaccurately documenting Hou’s questioning of Wu Li-ju (吳麗洳), a Taipei City Government treasurer, about how Ma used his special mayoral fund.
Last year Ma asked the court to remove three prosecutors from his cases for “bias,” but State Public Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) rejected the request.
Although Ma has dropped several of the lawsuits he filed during the presidential campaign last year, he did not drop the charges against the prosecutors who investigated him for graft.
On Monday, the Democratic Progressive Party criticized Ma’s move as “big president bullies small prosecutor.”
Ma yesterday said he was acquitted of embezzlement charges and that his decision to appeal was for public justice and not out of personal interest.
It was the first time a president of the country exercised his litigation rights and Ma said he believed it had drawn much attention to the issue and would eventually lead to the further protection of human rights of ordinary people.
Incorrect interview records might seem insignificant to some, but they can change a defendant’s life forever, Ma was quoted by Tsai as saying, adding that he hoped his appeal would serve as an example to others.
Ma said he would take a two-pronged approach to dealing with the problem. On the one hand, he would proceed with the legal procedure. On the other hand, he would continue to push for judicial reform.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday threw its support behind Ma’s decision to pursue a lawsuit against Hou.
“Such an appeal has two positive meanings. First, it can safeguard the human rights of the plaintiff when prosecutors decide not to indict the accused and it highlights the importance of procedural justice,” said KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池). “Second, we can also remind prosecutors of the importance of dealing with a legal case with caution. [Prosecutors must know] that they can never distort witnesses’ testimony.”
At a separate setting yesterday, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said Ma has the power to conduct a comprehensive overhaul of the judiciary and reform the Ministry of Justice. Although Hou deserved scrutiny, the examination must not be targeted at him alone, she said.
Lu is also under investigation for her use of the special allowance fund during her stint as Taoyuan commissioner. Lu urged Ma to help all those embroiled in cases involving the discretionary fund, which she described as a “historic glitch.”
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS