Deputy Minister of Justice Tsai Pi-chung (蔡碧仲) is to become acting Hualien County commissioner, replacing Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), who has been sentenced to eight months in prison for stock market manipulation, Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said on Friday.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected Fu’s appeal against the prison sentence, ruling that he must serve his term and closing the case.
Fu was relieved of his post on the same day under the Local Government Act (地方制度法), which stipulates that local government heads be removed from their positions if they are convicted of a crime that carries a prison sentence.
In a statement, Kolas said that Tsai would leave the Ministry of Justice and officially assume the Hualien post tomorrow.
As acting county commissioner, Tsai is to ensure the continuity of local policies and maintain administrative neutrality.
Tsai, a law graduate from National Chengchi University, has extensive administrative qualifications and has served as a prosecutor in Penghu, Yunlin and Chiayi counties.
In other news, Hou Kuan-jen (侯寬仁), who in 2007 indicted then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on charges of embezzlement, was on Friday appointed as deputy director of the justice ministry’s Agency Against Corruption.
Hou had accused Ma of siphoning NT$11 million (US$357,607) from his special mayoral allowance during his time as Taipei mayor (1998-2006), but Ma was cleared of the charges in court.
Hou in 2010 received a low grade from then-minister of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) for “inaccuracies” on affidavits in the Ma case.
The negative assessment has affected his career over the past eight years, Hou said on Friday, adding that the new appointment represents a “restoration of justice.”
He said that he did not regret taking over the Ma case, because as a member of the judiciary, one must have a sense of right and wrong.
“Cases will be handled as they should,” Hou added.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) on Friday also confirmed the appointment of ministry Administrative Enforcement Agency Director-General Leu Weng-jong (呂文忠) as the next Investigation Bureau director-general.
The position has been vacant since Tsai Ching-hsiang was selected to head to justice ministry in a July Cabinet reshuffle.
Leu said the appointment came as a surprise, but he is fully aware of the new responsibilities that await him.
Ahead of the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24, his first priority after taking office would be to ensure that the polls proceed without a hitch, he said.
It has yet to be announced when Hou and Leu are to take up their new positions.
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