Seven judges accused of misconduct were facing disciplinary action yesterday by the Judicial Yuan, following an investigation of the Taiwan Pineapple Corp scandal.
The judges were charged with acts of inappropriate socializing and being involved in speculative stock transactions.
Of the seven judges facing disciplinary action yesterday, Taiwan High Court Judge Yang Kuei-sen (
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The Judicial Yuan acted to suspend Yang from office yesterday on suspicion that the large sum of stock transactions was intended to help boost stock prices of the company.
Yang and the other six judges -- Supreme Court Justice Sun Tseng-tung (
If investigation by the supervisory body confirms their misconduct they will be subject to a final disciplinary hearing by the Committee on the Discipline of Public Functionaries. Punishment can range from a reprimand to outright removal from office.
Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生), president of the Judicial Yuan, said yesterday that it was inappropriate for the judges to have attended a party hosted by the wife of the chair of the Taiwan Pineapple company.
He said judges were supposed to have stricter moral standards than other public officials because they are not "ordinary officials."
Weng said judges had to be more prudent than anyone else in their personal lives, in due respect of their position.
A constitutional guarantee of life service distinguishes judges from other public officials, but at the same time it requires a high degree of self regulation, Weng said.
"All of our judges should learn a lesson from this incident," he said, "Lots of people might want to ask judges to banquets, but the judges have to ask themselves whether or not it is an appropriate occasion and whether their appearance is compatible with their job and position as judge."
In announcing disciplinary actions against the seven judges Weng was noted to have held his breath several times in order to stay calm.
Weng looked worried and was obviously concerned that the collective image of the judiciary had been badly tarnished by the judges' misconduct.
"Are all the efforts which we have put in to win public trust in the judicial system going to come to nothing? Is it fair that the faults of a small number of people destroy everything that has been done well by a majority of hard-working judges?" Weng asked.
The Ministry of Justice, however, has yet to take any action on the basis of misconduct against six prosecutors allegedly involved in the scandal.
During a news briefing yesterday, Administrative Vice Minister Lin Hsi-yao (
It has been said that a number of public officials, lawmakers, judges and prosecutors worked together to boost the company's stock price.
By the time the investigation is completed, the ministry will take disciplinary actions against any of the people whose misconduct is confirmed, Lin said.
The scandal broke last week when independent lawmaker Lin Jui-tu (
He alleged that judges and prosecutors had attended a luxurious dinner party and were persuaded to buy Taiwan Pineapple stock by Chen Mei-hsiu (
During the party, Lin claimed, Chen pressured guests to purchase Taiwan Pineapple stock and floated the idea that compensation would be available in the event of any losses.
Lin alleged some judges and prosecutors had purchased the company's stock after the dinner. Then, when the company's stock price slumped dramatically last August, the judges and prosecutors who were caught in the slump asked Chen to pay for their losses, Lin said.
Lin's accusations prompted investigations by the Judicial Yuan and the Ministry of Justice into the practices of the judges and prosecutors.
Lee Wei-chang (
However, Huang did not show up and though his wife, Chen, did turn up at the prosecutors' office, she denied all allegations that any deals were made at the dinner party last July.
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