The Control Yuan yesterday impeached judge Chu Liang (朱樑) and former judge Tseng Mou-kuei (曾謀貴) of the Taiwan High Court’s Taichung Branch for soliciting prostitutes and accepting gifts from a person involved in a case over which he was presiding respectively.
Chu was found to have solicited prostitutes at various motels and hotels on 16 occasions between Dec. 12, 2014, and May 17 last year, the Control Yuan said in a statement.
More than half of those incidents occurred while Chu should have been at work, and he did not apply for leave, it said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
His actions contravened the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), the Control Yuan said, adding that Chu also breached the Criminal Code by committing adultery, although his wife has not pressed charges.
By repeatedly engaging in unethical activities, Chu has failed to meet the requirements stipulated in the Judges Act (法官法) or the code of conduct for judges, it said, adding that his actions have tainted the image of the judiciary.
Tseng was found to have accepted gifts in 2015 from a person involved in a case over which he was presiding at the time and privately met them at a party where they offered him food and drinks, the Control Yuan said.
Furthermore, on Nov. 12 that year, Tseng went to the Taichung City Council to ask for a favor for a friend when he should have been at work, it said.
His actions contravened the Judges Act and the code of conduct for judges, it added.
In both cases, all 12 Control Yuan examination committee members voted to impeach the judges.
The cases are to be transferred to the Judicial Yuan’s Court of the Judiciary, which is to decide on punishments.
Both cases had earlier been transferred to the Control Yuan by the court, after which Chu was suspended and Tseng retired, the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court said, adding that it respects the Control Yuan’s decision and would also respect how the Judicial Yuan decides to handle the cases.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua and Chang Ruei-cheng
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