Prosecutors are to formally charge former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in a wiretapping case involving former prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) by the end of the month, according to a media report.
A report published yesterday by the Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine said that the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is likely to indict Ma over leaking confidential information prior to or just after the Lunar New Year holidays, which begin on Jan. 27.
Prosecutors summoned Ma for questioning last month over the investigation into the 2013 case. They have also questioned Huang, who led the now-defunct Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office from 2010 to 2014.
Photo: CNA
Former premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), then-presidential office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and other witnesses were also summoned last month for questioning in connection with the case filed by Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).
Ker accused Ma of contravening the Criminal Code, the Communication Security and Surveillance Act (通訊監察保護法) and the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
Ma allegedly received leaked information from Huang regarding a then-ongoing investigation — which included wiretaps — into allegations that Ker and then-legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) were improperly using their influence.
Huang reportedly testified that he told Ma about the investigation involving Ker and Wang on Aug. 31, 2013.
He had no intention of revealing the content of the wiretapped conversation between Ker and Wang to Jiang, but he did so under Ma’s instruction on Sept. 4 that year, he said.
Ma could be implicated by Huang’s testimony and prosecutors might indict him, given that the court has already found Huang, who was forced to resign from his post in March 2014, guilty of leaking confidential information, legal experts said.
Ma’s office yesterday declined to comment on the issue.
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