The Control Yuan yesterday rejected a motion to impeach State Public Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) over his alleged mishandling of the case against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) by a vote of 6-6.
Control Yuan members Chien Lin Whei-jun (錢林慧君) and Lee Ful-dien (李復甸), in charge of an investigation into Chen Tsung-ming after he was accused of “dereliction of duty,” yesterday proposed impeaching the top prosecutor.
Based on their investigations, the two Control Yuan members said that Chen Tsung-ming had violated the Civil Servants Work Act (公務員服務法) and the Prosecutors Code (檢察官守則).
They accused him of failing to prohibit the first family’s physician Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥), who prosecutors allege played a role in corruption by the former first family, from leaving the country.
Huang went to the US in 2008 and has been on a wanted list since March.
Chien Lin and Lee said Chen Tsung-ming had often met people involved in Chen Shui-bian’s cases, including Tsai Chu-hsiung (蔡竹雄), a construction magnate and owner of the Polaris Garden Plaza, the first family’s former residence.
The Control Yuan members described Chen Tsung-ming’s meeting with these parties as “inappropriate” and said that he “lacked awareness” of Huang’s plan to leave.
Hung Te-hsuan (洪德旋), another Control Yuan member who jointly investigated the matter, disagreed with Chien Lin and Lee.
Hung said that the Control Yuan did not find solid evidence to prove that Huang fled to the US because Chen Tsung-ming had divulged information to him.
“We are still looking into the matter,” Hung told reporters.
Chen Tsung-ming has denied all the accusations, which were mainly raised by the Chinese Nationalist Party Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅).
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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