A judicial reform group yesterday called for the drafting of a judges’ law to root out unqualified judges.
Directed at the judiciary and legislature, this call comes in the wake of a number of incidents in recent weeks in which Taiwan High Court judges have been found to have consorted with prostitutes and met mistresses during office hours as well as being accused of involvement in collective bribery.
DELAYS
Attorney and executive director of the Judicial Reform Foundation Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正) said that although the judicial reform movement had sought the enactment of a judges’ law to regulate judicial conduct and weed out unqualified individuals for years, its introduction had been delayed by legislative inaction and resistance from a substantial number of judges.
Lin said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the Judicial Yuan and the legislature should now push to overcome that resistance.
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Lin said the scandals involving a number of judges had seriously undermined the image of the judicial system in Taiwan.
Taiwan High Court Judge Yang Ping-chen (楊炳禎) was suspended by the Judicial Yuan on Friday after investigators monitoring his cellphone calls found that Yang, who handled fewer cases than his colleagues for health reasons, was visiting prostitutes a few times a month during office hours.
GOOD LIFE
Yang, who was under investigation in a bribery case, owns luxurious houses in Taipei and spends a considerable amount of money and time collecting and trading Chinese antiques, investigators said. They doubted that such a lifestyle was possible on a judge’s salary.
Investigators also determined that Taiwan High Court judges Tsai Kuang-chih (蔡光治) and Chen Jung-ho (陳榮和), who were detained last month and charged with bribery, often met with mistresses in restaurants or hotels during office hours and visited pubs and restaurants with hostesses.
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About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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