After a seemingly peaceful decade-long career in the public service, grand justice and Vice President of the Judicial Yuan Cheng Chung-mo (
Denying the allegations, Cheng, 68, said he chose to resign because the scandal marred his reputation as a judicial official.
Cheng started off as a law professor in the 1970s teaching first at Fu Hsing Kang College and then at National Chung Hsing University from 1973 to 1982.
After earning a doctorate in law from the University of Vienna in Austria, he also served as a guest professor there for one year in 1980.
He then officially began his public service career as commissioner of the Taiwan Provincial Government from 1982 to 1990 and then commissioner of the Examination Yuan from 1990 to 1994.
In 1998, he was named minister of justice.
During his one-year tenure, Cheng took action to counter the illegal collection of sand and stone from river banks by construction firms and the illegal construction of houses on hillsides -- two prime causes of landslides that year after frequent typhoons.
Some had speculated that he rose quickly through the ranks because of his good relations with former president Lee Teng-hui (
Cheng became the vice president of the Judicial Yuan in 1999.
However, in 2003, the non-governmental Judicial Reform Foundation rated Cheng as "not appropriate" for the positions of grand justice or vice president of the Judicial Yuan.
Kao Yung-cheng (高勇誠), executive director of the foundation, told the Taipei Times yesterday that the ratings in 2003 were conducted via surveys targeting judicial experts and over two-thirds of the people polled had felt that Cheng "talked the talk but did not walk the walk."
Kao yesterday described Cheng as often "saying one thing and doing another" and having "complicated relations with politicians and businessmen."
"Our foundation welcomes the resignation of Cheng because it is a smart decision to let the scandal die down and not hurt his own and his family's reputation," Kao said.
In September 2004, Cheng was accused of calling the then independent Legislator Su Ying-kuei (
Cheng had then confirmed that he did call Su from the UK when he was on a business trip but denied trying to persuade Su of anything, saying that he was merely concerned about floods in Taiwan.
Two legislators on the Judiciary Committee at the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Kuo Lin-yung (
Kuo said Cheng had done a good job as grand justice over the years but the scandal demonstrated that the public had made its own judgement despite Cheng's excuses.
Kao Su-po said he felt Cheng was a great scholar, but that he had caused too many controversies as grand justice.
He described Cheng as "serious," like an academic, "active and social," and "decisive," since Cheng willingly resigned yesterday to resolve the problem right away.
"[Cheng] shouldn't try to cover up what really happened with the woman, if something really did happen," Kao Su-po said.
"He should admit to any affair, as the public would not judge him as harshly because it is a private matter," he said.
Cheng reportedly has a good and steady relationship with his wife, so judicial officials expressed surprise at the allegations, according to local media reports.
Cheng's son, designer Cheng Chao-wei (
But reports said that Cheng was open-minded and that he had a good relationship with his son.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
RSS