The freeze on the assets of the National Women’s League would not be affected after the Taipei High Administrative Court on Monday reiterated that all legal proceedings are to be halted until the Council of Grand Justices announces its interpretation of the Act Governing the Settlement of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例), the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee said yesterday.
Committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said that the ruling has no effect on administrative penalties already issued by the committee.
The league’s assets are still frozen, and the league still needs the committee’s permission to use its assets, she said.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The court did not give specific reasons for its ruling and stopped hearing the case involving the league simply because other judges have already applied for a constitutional interpretation for a separate case involving the act and because the court’s economic and judicial resources are shared, Shih said.
A separate constitutional interpretation was not requested, she said.
“Will administrative cases have to be halted whenever a constitutional interpretation has been requested for a separate case?” she asked.
The committee in February declared the league to be an affiliate of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and froze its NT$38.5 billion (US$1.25 billion at the current exchange rate) in assets.
The league responded with administrative litigation against the committee.
In June, the court ruled that legal proceedings in cases involving Central Investment Co (中央投資公司) and Hsinyutai Co (欣裕台) would be suspended until the council issued a constitutional interpretation, a committee member said on condition of anonymity.
An appeal by the committee was rejected, the member said.
Last month, the court ruled that the committee must stop pursuing about NT$860 million in compensation for the KMT’s sale of 458 properties appropriated from the Japanese colonial government, the member said, adding that the committee is appealing the ruling.
On Monday, it once again ruled that legal proceedings in the case involving the league be suspended until the council issues a constitutional interpretation, they said.
Suspending legal proceedings and asking for a constitutional interpretation — actions that are uncommon — have become the “principle” of the Taipei High Administrative Court in its handling of cases involving party assets, the member said.
The court ruled that the proceedings be halted for two reasons — first, it believes that the act might be unconstitutional, and second, it has already requested an interpretation from the council regarding the Central Investment and Hsinyutai cases, the member said.
The league yesterday said in a statement that it was relieved at the ruling.
The committee should immediately stop operating according to an act that is suspected to be unconstitutional so it does not face compensation claims, it said.
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