The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID) yesterday rejected accusations made by Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) that he had been illegally wiretapped by the SID up until last month.
Ker said the SID had told the legislature that his phone was monitored between May 16 and Sept. 5 this year, but according to a document that was obtained by the legislature’s wiretapping investigation task force from the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), his phone was wiretapped from May 1 up until Nov. 5.
In addition those conversations were simultaneously transcribed by CIB personnel.
In response, the SID yesterday said Ker’s phone was wiretapped between May 16 and Sept. 5 due to suspicion of his involvement in a bribery case involving a Taiwan High Court judge.
The wiretapping was approved by the Taipei District Court, it said, adding that after Sept. 5, the SID had not wiretapped Ker’s phone.
It added that phone conversations listened to by the CIB were not related to Ker, and that the politician was under an misunderstanding.
In September, the SID accused Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of exerting improper influence over the judiciary on Ker’s behalf by asking then-justice minister Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) — who later resigned over the issue — not to appeal a breach-of-trust case against Ker.
The accusation was based on conversations collected from wiretaps of Ker’s and others’ phones that were part of an unrelated investigation involving Ker.
After being briefed by Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) about the matter, Ma tried to oust Wang from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the legislative speaker position, leading to the start of a political battle between Ma and Wang.
Additional reporting by CNA
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