A legislative committee yesterday passed a motion asking Premier Liu Chao-shuan (劉兆玄) to form a special anti-graft commission, following President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) call to clamp down on corruption in the military and government.
The Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee approved a motion proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators stating that the recent corruption scandals in the military and government had seriously sabotaged the image of the nation and urged Liu to head a special committee to fight corruption.
Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) said she was in favor of such a commission, adding that her ministry had completed a report on its feasibility and necessity and would present it to the Executive Yuan for review in a couple of days.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said Ma had declared war on corruption, calling it a fight that the government had to win.
The key to victory, Chiu said, was for State Public Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) to step down so corrupt officials would learn a lesson. Chiu accused Chen Tsung-ming of delaying the legal proceedings against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is on trial on corruption charges.
Chiu said the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) needed a more competent man to lead the team.
Wang said she agreed with Chiu on the need to win the fight against corruption, adding that she would relay his message to Chen Tsung-ming.
Ma on Wednesday called for government and judiciary reviews of “major” corruption cases and a concrete plan to reform the system within three months.
Asked by KMT Legislator Wu Ching-chih (吳清池) whether three months was too short to produce concrete results, Wang said it would not be a problem if they were determined.
Wu, however, expressed concern that prosecutors might be forced to press for indictments before gathering sufficient evidence.
When Wang said she would present the reports on the deadline, KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) asked whether she would step down if she failed to do so.
Wang said she would step down if it was deemed fit, adding that she felt as “distressed” as the president about “corruption” in the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.
KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) demanded a speedy trial of the case against Chen Shui-bian and threatened to launch a campaign to recall Chen Tsung-ming if the prosecutor-general refused to cooperate.
Wang said she thought Chen Tsung-ming was doing alright, but that he could be more “aggressive.”
She also expressed hope that Taiwan could sign an agreement or memorandum of understanding with the US to extradite fugitives, including the former first family's physician, Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥).
Another KMT legislator, Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), said that a recent poll showed that about 59 percent of the public did not have confidence in the government despite Ma's resolve to fight corruption.
Another poll released by the Ministry of Justice two months ago also indicated that about 60 percent of respondents did not think the government was clean and that 56 percent said they did not have confidence in judicial reform.
Apologizing for disappointing the public, Wang said her ministry would exert every effort to fight corruption, but added that it was difficult to uncover corruption as these crimes were conducted in private.
Wang also expressed regret over the country's low ranking in an international study on government corruption.
The Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy's annual survey based on the perception of foreign business executives placed Taiwan at No. 9 among the world's 16 economic entities. On a scale from zero to 10, Taiwan scored 6.47, more serious than China's 6.16.
The three DPP lawmakers who are on this legislative committee did not attend the session yesterday.
The committee also approved a preliminary review of amendments to the Crime Victims Protection Law (犯罪被害人保護法), which would expand support and protection measures extended to victims, including medical and psychological treatment and judicial proceedings.
At a separate setting yesterday, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said she supported the government's effort to crack down on corruption, but urged Ma to refrain from solely targeting DPP members.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS