Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Committee member Sean Lien (連勝文) yesterday renewed his call for the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to investigate an election-eve shooting in which he was wounded as he continued to challenge the conclusion of the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office that he was shot mistakenly.
In a written statement issued yesterday, Lien’s lawyer, Liu Tsung-hsin (劉宗欣), refuted the Supreme Court’s comments that “it is against the regulations and unnecessary” for the SIP to take over the case.
Citing the Organic Act for Courts (法院組織法), Liu said the case should be treated as a special and significant crime that jeopardized social order and therefore should be under the SIP’s authority.
Photo provided by the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office
“This case was a shock to the public and started a panic in society. It is a significant case that jeopardized social order and we urge the SIP to reconsider the possibility of initiating a probe into it,” Liu said.
The statement was issued after the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday indicted suspect Lin Cheng-wei (林正偉) on manslaughter, attempted murder and other charges for allegedly planning to shoot then-KMT city councilor candidate for New Taipei City (新北市) Chen Hung-yuan (陳鴻源) on the eve of the Nov. 27 special municipality elections because of a land dispute with Chen’s family. However, in an alleged case of mistaken identity, he shot Lien, the prosecutors said.
Protesting against the prosecutors’ claims, Lien later on Friday urged the SIP via his lawyers and friends to take over investigating the case.
Photo provided by the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office
Asked about the death sentence recommended by prosecutors, Lien said that if Lin died, the truth behind the shooting would never be revealed, implying that Lin was nothing but a “tool” in a political scheme against him and his family.
The Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office’s indictments were not accepted by Lien, Chen, the pan-blue alliance or the pan-green camp. KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said he doubted that the attempt by prosecutors to prevent election violence by recommending the death penalty would work because they had failed to catch the real mastermind.
DPP spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and attorney Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) both said that the indictments were built based on the suspect’s statement.
The indictments did not answer questions as to whether there were accomplices, where the weapon used came from and what the motive behind the shooting was, and the DPP and most of its supporters could not accept that, they said.
The DPP said it would continue to press for a recall of the mayoral elections in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taichung.
It has accused the KMT of implying that the DPP was behind the violence after the shooting occurred, causing the DPP’s losses in those three polls on Nov. 27.
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