Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) yesterday accused Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) and Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office Head Prosecutor Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) of illegally lobbying for a lawsuit involving Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).
Tseng announced his resignation later yesterday.
A spokesman for the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID), Yang Jung-tsung (楊榮宗), told a press conference earlier yesterday that after Ker on June 18 was found not guilty of embezzling funds from Formosa Telecom, he asked Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), to lobby Tseng and Chen to use their influence to stop a prosecutor from appealing the case with the Supreme Court.
Photo: CNA
They influenced Lin Shiow-tao (林秀濤), the prosecutor in charge of Ker’s breach of trust case, and Lin did not appeal the ruling, Yang said, adding that Tseng would be referred to the Control Yuan for an impeachment probe, while Chen would be subject to an administrative evaluation.
Tseng and Chen are not likely to face any criminal charges because they did not receive any kickbacks or other rewards for their lobbying efforts, the SID said.
Huang said in a statement that he was deeply saddened by the influence peddling charges because the two men’s behavior had seriously tarnished the reputation and credibility of the judiciary.
Huang said that as the country’s top prosecutor he was determined to resist improper interference and maintain the independence and impartiality of prosecutors.
Huang said SID prosecutors unexpectedly stumbled upon the alleged irregularities while monitoring Ker’s mobile phone in relation to another case.
After Ker was acquitted in June, he made a telephone call to Chen, asking Chen’s office not to appeal the case, the SID said, adding that Chen then met with Lin and hinted that she should not appeal the case, saying the legislature was concerned about the case and it is in charge of the office’s annual budget.
The SID said that because Ker could not make sure Chen would influence the prosecutor he also asked Wang to lobby for him.
On June 28, Wang made a telephone call to Ker, saying that Chen had mentioned the matter to Tseng and the latter had agreed to handle it, the SID said, adding that on the next day, Wang and Tseng met in New Taipei City (新北市) and Wang later called Ker to say the case had been taken care of.
Both Tseng and Chen denied the accusations
“It is a shame that the SID is accusing people with false facts,” Tseng told a press conference, adding that the SID made the accusations due to “personal resentment.”
Separately yesterday, Chen said he never told the prosecutor not to appeal Ker’s case, while Lin said she decided not to appeal because she found no evidence suggesting irregularities.
Meanwhile, Ker said in a statement that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also doubles as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, had manipulated the judiciary to carry out a purge within the KMT.
Wang was on a vacation with his family in Malaysia and did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and CNA
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from