The Taiwan High Court’s Prosecutors Office yesterday said it has asked the Taiwan District Prosecutors’ Office to look into former minister of national defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) and six military officers’ alleged criminal responsibility over the wrongful execution of an air force private for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl 15 years ago.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel (SIP) concluded on May 24 that Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶) was not guilty of the crime for which he was executed in 1997, but it did not issue indictments against Chen or the other officers believed to have played a role in Chiang’s interrogation and coerced confession.
At the time, the SIP said although military prosecutors had coerced Chiang into confessing by torturing him, the military officers could not be indicted because the 10-year statute of limitations had expired.
The Taiwan High Court’s Prosecutors Office said it has ordered the district prosecutors to look into whether Chen and six officers violated Article 302 of the Criminal Code — illegal detention resulting in homicide — and Article 125 — abuse of prosecutorial authority causing homicide.
The Taiwan High Court’s Prosecutors Office said there were nine officers involved in the incident, but because one has died and one is still serving in the military and is being investigated by military prosecutors, it only ordered the district prosecutors to investigate Chen and the remaining six.
Prosecutors previously sought indictments for a violation of Article 304, regarding coercion, which has a statute of limitations of 10 years.
Article 125 and Article 302 have statutes of limitations of 20 years to 30 years.
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