The Control Yuan yesterday impeached former Transitional Justice Commission deputy chairman Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) for allegedly breaching administrative neutrality by plotting against a political opponent.
Proposed by Control Yuan members Gau Fehng-shian (高鳳仙) and Yang Mei-ling (楊美鈴), the impeachment was unanimously passed and has been forwarded to the Judicial Yuan’s Public Functional Disciplinary Sanction Commission for review, the Control Yuan said.
In interviews on Aug. 22 and 23 last year, Chang said that the commission would launch a draft bill to investigate perpetrators of crimes during the White Terror era, such as prosecutors, judges and intelligence personnel, despite knowing that the commission had no plans for such a bill, the Control Yuan said.
In a meeting with five other commission members on Aug. 24 last year, Chang also confirmed a report that he was targeting then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate for New Taipei City mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜).
A former police officer, Hou’s involvement in the death of democracy advocate Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) — who died in April 1989 when he set himself alight after being besieged by police — is the nastiest example of why transitional justice is needed, Chang said at the time.
It would be a pity if Hou’s involvement in the authoritarian regime was not used against him, Chang said, adding that the commission should act as a Dong Chang (東廠), a Ming Dynasty secret police and spy agency.
The commission should also “feed” information to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators on the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statues Committee, Chang told other commission members.
An audio recording of Chang’s statements was leaked to the media by a commission member. Hou was elected New Taipei City mayor in November last year.
Chang contravened administrative neutrality and spread misinformation, dealing a serious blow to the commission’s reputation and credibility, the Control Yuan said, adding that his actions were a serious dereliction of duty.
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