The Presidential Office yesterday defied a court ruling that required the surrender of documents relating to President Chen Shui-bian's (
The Taipei District Court on Friday ordered the Presidential Office to submit the documents by noon yesterday. The court had rejected a request that documents relating to secret diplomatic activities be seized.
The Presidential Office sent a letter to the court yesterday explaining why it would not comply.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said the Presidential Office would not comply with the court's ruling because the request had been made to the Presidential Office rather than the president.
"The president is the head of state and commander-in-chief. It is the president's authority to determine which diplomatic mission is confidential," Liu said. "Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山) cannot respond to the court's request on behalf of the president because he is in charge of the operations of the Presidential Office."
In any case, Liu added, secret diplomatic projects sometimes did not involve documentation and agents involved were not necessarily Taiwanese nationals.
"As the president said, some of the secret diplomatic projects must remain secret forever and go with him to his grave," she said.
If the court demanded that Chen comply or summon him for questioning, Liu said this might violate Article 52 of the Constitution, which gives immunity to the president except in case of sedition or treason.
Liu said the Presidential Office had turned over all the documents it could and that it was up to Chen to decide on the rest.
On whether first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) would appear in court tomorrow, Liu said the Presidential Office would abide by the opinion of her medical team.
Wu was indicted on corruption and forgery charges over Chen's alleged misuse of the controversial "state affairs fund."
She has been staying at National Taiwan University Hospital since Dec. 15, when she nearly collapsed during the first session of her trial.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus has requested that the Council of Grand Justices rule on the constitutionality of prosecutors questioning the president.
The Taipei District Court ruled last Friday that prosecutors did not violate the Constitution in doing so and that Wu's trial should continue.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
STRAIT OF HORMUZ: In the case of a prolonged blockade by Iran, Taiwan would look to sources of LNG outside the Middle East, including Australia and the US Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The government has secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies for this month and contingency measures are in place if the conflict extends into next month, Kung told lawmakers. Saying that 25 percent of Taiwan’s natural gas supplies are from Qatar, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) asked about the situation in light of the conflict. There would be “no problems” with
RSS