President Chen Shui-bian (
The event, called the "Joint Action Conference for the Crackdown on Black Gold", was co-organized by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior.
"By assembling prosecutors from the Black Gold Investigation Center and special investigation forces, and with all government agencies having a stake in cracking down on black gold, we hope consensus and cross-departmental cooperation can be reached," Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) said. Chen Ding-nan presided over the conference with Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya (張博雅).
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Participants at the conference included officials from the justice ministry, including the Investigation Bureau and the ministry of the interior, the police, prosecutors, the military police's criminal investigation units, as well as other governmental departments whose work is often affected by black gold crimes, such as the Public Construction Commission, the Environmental Protection Administration and the Securities and Futures Commission of the finance ministry.
Amid renewed intensive investigation into the murder of naval Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) and related weapon purchase corruption cases, the conference yesterday concluded that the Black Gold Investigation Center should include military prosecutors to investigate armed forces-related cases.
"Communication between the civilian and military investigation units should be enhanced and resources shared. The Black Gold Investigation Center will meet with military investigation units regularly," Chen Ding-nan said.
The conference reached agreements on seven proposals, most concerning cooperation between agencies.
In his speech, President Chen laid out three goals in the government's anti-black gold drive.
First, he told law enforcement agencies that actions would speak louder than words in the fight against black gold.
"The establishment of the Black Gold Investigation Center, the special investigation task force for the investigation of the Yin Ching-feng case and the final conviction and execution of former Pitung County Council Speaker Cheng Tai-chi (
"Second, bureaucracy and departmentalism should be replaced with a spirit of cooperation," Chen said, stressing that all departments involved in the Yin case should work together.
Third, the president said that due process should always be followed by and human rights must be respected in pursuing cases.
"Human rights must be a fundamental value of the nation."
The Black Gold Investigation Center was set up on July 1 at Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office, followed by the establishment of four special investigation forces set up at the office's four divisions in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
The institution was designed to include prosecutors from both the High Court and district courts specializing in handling black gold crimes.
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