Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) yesterday called for a full investigation by the Control Yuan into allegations that a Judicial Yuan nominee inappropriately took a NT$4 million (US$130,000) government grant in 2008 and raised questions about the impartiality of a nominee for the Examination Yuan.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday that Judicial Yuan vice presidential nominee Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽) had applied for the grant when serving as chairman of the National Communications Commission.
The National Science Council research proposal was set to begin on Aug. 1, 2008, a day after Su stepped down.
“There’s a clear conflict of interest here. As a [senior] civil servant who plays an important role in the Executive Yuan, Su should have avoided putting himself in this position,” Lee said before going to the Control Yuan.
Su and Rai Hau-min (賴浩敏), President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominee for Judicial Yuan president, have been under heavy criticism from opposition party lawmakers and government watchdogs, who allege the two do not wholeheartedly support judicial reform.
They are nevertheless widely expected to be confirmed in the legislature today, with support from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers. DPP lawmakers have said they would unanimously cast a “no” vote at the confirmation hearing.
Calling the pair possible “political instruments,” DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said the appointments were deeply politically motivated because of Su’s close ties with Ma. Su is former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi’s (蘇起) younger brother and has been friends with Ma since high school.
“Neither Su nor Rai are qualified for the posts,” Pan said, adding that “the questionable appointments raise serious questions” as to whether it was a ploy by the ruling party to increase its influence on the judiciary.
DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said the expected appointment would reflect badly on Taiwan’s human rights and democracy, adding that even though Taiwan had “plenty of good talent,” the nominees would turn the nation’s efforts at judicial reform “into an international laughing stock.”
Former Judicial Yuan president Lai In-jaw (賴英照) stepped down in July in the midst of a corruption scandal involving three Taiwan High Court judges and one prosecutor suspected of taking bribes from a former KMT lawmaker.
Meanwhile, DPP legislators also raised questions about the impartiality of certain nominees for the Examination Yuan, saying that one still had membership in the KMT.
During an extra plenary session at the legislature to review the nominees’ qualifications, DPP legislators Huang Jen-shu (黃仁杼) and Lee Chun-yee said Article 88 of the Constitution stipulates that all Examination Yuan members must transcend party lines, which creates doubts as to whether nominee Kao Yuang-kuang (高永光) would be able to exercise his authority independently if he -remained a KMT member.
Kao confirmed that his KMT membership was still valid, but said this would not affect his impartiality, as he is not a party official and would refrain from any political activities.
Yesterday’s meeting was the sole session allowing legislators to cross-examine the nominees in the legislature before it votes on the nominees for the Examination Yuan and the Judicial Yuan today.
By law, the two Examination Yuan nominees will serve six years in office, while the nominees for president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan will serve an eight-year term.
Their nomination will be approved by the legislature if more than half of the 112 lawmakers cast an affirmative vote.
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