A Judicial Reform Foundation delegation yesterday urged the Control Yuan to investigate Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) on charges of abuse of power and authorizing secret wiretapping.
The delegation also called for abolishing the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID).
Gathered in front of the Control Yuan, the delegation was headed by foundation chairman Chiu Hei-yuan (瞿海源), board member Joseph Lin (林永頌) and executive director Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“Prosecutor-General Huang claimed that he was acting in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitution in reporting to the president regarding the alleged illegal lobbying of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). However, that article concerns how to handle the president calling a consultation in case of disputes between two or more branches of government,” Chiu said.
“However, how can Huang represent the Executive Yuan? His action is a serious violation of the Constitution. We demand that the Control Yuan investigate this thoroughly,” Chiu said.
The delegation also said that no one must interfere in the judicial process, and all those involved in the illegal lobbying case should be investigated, including Wang, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), former minister of justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) and High Prosecutors’ Office Head Prosecutor Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌).
“According to the principle of legislative self-discipline, the investigation into the conduct of Wang and Ker should be done by the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee,” Lin said.
He said that since both men are members of political parties, both parties should investigate their conduct, under the principle of responsible politics.
“If they are found guilty, then they must bear all political responsibility, executive power responsibility and even criminal liability. There is no room for ambiguity on this matter,” Lin said.
The delegation’s request and statement was accepted by Control Yuan member Yu Teng-fang (余騰芳).
In a press release, the foundation called for major reforms in six areas of the judicial process.
These included passing legislation on illegal lobbying, abolishing the SID, establishing checks and balances on prosecutors to prevent selective prosecution, establishing a mechanism to allow public participation in the judicial process, reforming the prosecutorial system and prohibiting investigative units from carrying out wiretapping to “fish for evidence.”
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai