The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) should step down for her inappropriate comments about the ongoing bribery case involving Farglory Land Development Co chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄) and former Taoyuan County deputy commissioner Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文).
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating allegations that Chao bribed Yeh in connection with a development project in Taoyuan County and it suspects that he was involved in other bribery scandals.
Luo on Thursday said in a radio interview that she knows that Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) and former Taoyuan County commissioner Eric Chu (朱立倫), who is currently New Taipei City mayor, are not involved in the case.
“There is no need to wait until the case is closed, I can say the case is unrelated to commissioner Wu,” Luo said in the interview.
DPP spokesman Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) accused Luo of intervening in an ongoing investigation, as well as illegally commenting on the case.
He said the party considers Luo inappropriate to serve as minister of justice and she should step down, he added.
Huang said Luo also admitted she reported the case to Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) in violation of the principle that the investigation remain secret.
The spokesman added that Luo is a “repeat offender,” who often comments on or intervenes in ongoing investigations.
He said there have been several precedents — she said the Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office did not intend to break the law when it wiretapped the Legislature Yuan’s switchboard; she said prosecutors would not tolerate the students involved in the Sunflower movement; and she said a demonstration outside Taipei’s Zhongzheng First Police Precinct in April broke the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).
Jiang also came under fire for his handling of Yeh’s case.
An official at the Executive Yuan, who declined to be named, said on Thursday that Jiang forced Yeh to retire earlier than scheduled after the premier had received a tip-off about his integrity when Yeh was director-general of the Construction and Planning Agency.
Jiang should have referred Yeh to the Agency Against Corruption for investigation instead of asking him to retire early, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
“What Jiang did was cover up irregularities involving Yeh,” Lin said.
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