Special Investigation Panel officers yesterday launched a new round of investigations into bribery scandals involving at least two Taiwan High Court judges.
Leading agents from the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau (MJIB) and prosecutors raided 20 locations in Taipei City and County, Taoyuan County and Hsinchu County, including the residences of High Court Judge Yang Ping-chen (楊炳禎) and attorney Chiu Chuang-shun (邱創舜).
Five people were detained for questioning and 19 were interviewed as witnesses, prosecutors said.
At press time, the prosecutor had requested that Chiu be detained.
At the heart of the case was a ruling in 2005 by Taiwan High Court Judge Tsai Kuang-chih (蔡光治) exonerating former Taiwan High Court Hualien branch judge Chang Ping-lung (張炳龍), who had been sentenced to 12 years in jail for involvement in a bribery scandal.
Following the ruling, prosecutors launched an investigation over suspicions of bribery. Yang is also suspected of involvement in the bribe, prosecutors said.
Tsai, along with High Court judges Chen Jung-ho (陳榮和) and Lee Chun-ti (李春地) and Banciao prosecutor Chiu Mao-jung (邱茂榮), were detained last month on suspicion of corruption when handling a different case against former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator and Miaoli County commissioner Ho Chih-hui (何智輝).
In related developments, news reports alleged that the Taiwan High Court in January exonerated the son of Supreme Court Judge Hsiao Yang-kuei (蕭仰歸), who earlier had been sentenced by the Taipei District Court to six months in jail over a hit-and-run. The verdict was final.
Reports said that Kao Ming-che (高明哲), the High Court judge presiding over the case, was reportedly a close colleague of Hsiao in university and may have been lobbied by Hsiao into requesting two judges in his court to acquit the defendant.
The High Court yesterday said in a press statement the three judges were at odds on whether lobbying was involved, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate the matter.
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