A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday called on his People First Party (PFP) colleagues to respect the judicial independence of the probe into a journalist who took confidential notes from a prosecutors' office.
"The PFP should stay away from the investigation," Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (
The Taipei Prosecutors Office launched the probe after Kao Nien-yi (
Lee gave testimony to prosecutors on PFP Chairman James Soong's alleged embezzlement of property belonging to the Chinese Nationalist Party, of which Soong used to be secretary general
Tsai said that it was improper for the PFP to make further comment on the reporter's case because prosecutors had initiated a special investigation.
"PFP members should realize that prosecutors enjoy an independent right to investigate a legal case," Tsai said. "Any further comment by the PFP caucus could be in violation of judicial powers."
Earlier, PFP lawmakers challenged the prosecutors' position on the investigation.
PFP members said that the discussion on the legitimacy of Kao's behavior had fudged the embezzlement issue, while adding that the Ministry of Justice should shoulder the responsibility for blurring the Chung Hsing dispute.
"The focus of the issue has been moved to the reporter's acts rather than the truth of the contents of the note," PFP whip Chou Hsi-wei (
"The ministry is responsible for losing the focus of the discussion, while its indifference toward the issue led it to be blind to the investigation's faults," Chou said. "The party believes that political figures and legislators must stop their involvement in the developing controversy as of now."
But the DPP's Tsai argued that Soong should set an example to prevent politics from interfering with legal proceedings.
"Soong neither explained to Control Yuan members nor the public about the NT$380 million he was found to have remitted to US from 1995 to 1998, as well as another outlay of NT$29 million that was stashed in various accounts at the Bank of Taiwan by Soong and remitted to anonymous accounts overseas in 1998," Tsai said.
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