There was undue interference and misconduct by top officials and judges regarding former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) prosecution, Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) said yesterday.
Chen Shih-meng and fellow Control Yuan members Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) and Tsai Chung-yi (蔡崇義) released a 499-page report on their year-long investigation, which found major breaches by the Taipei District Court.
They requested that the Judicial Yuan conduct a retroactive assessment and take measures to rectify the situation.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The probe focused on several controversial decisions the court made in late 2008.
One of which was the transfer of the former president’s trial from then-presiding judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) to judge Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓) on Dec. 25, 2008.
This move and other maneuverings by the court raised questions among judges and legal professionals.
During the investigation, they interviewed 16 judges and top court officials, and uncovered allegations that then-chief judge Chen Hsing-pang (陳興邦) had threatened a subordinate to force the transfer of the case to Tsai Shou-hsun, Chen Shih-meng said.
“We have solid evidence that Chen Hsing-pang personally directed the transfer. Chen Hsing-pang convened a meeting of the court’s presiding judges after Chou ruled that the former president should be released from detention on Dec. 13, 2008,” he said.
“On Dec. 23, 2008, Chen Hsing-pang met with Ho Chiao-mei (何俏美), a judge on Chou’s panel bench. He allegedly threatened to transfer her to another court if she did not endorse a document transferring the case from Chou to Tsai Shou-hsun,” Chen Shih-meng said.
“What transpired was outrageous. It was a personal intervention by Chen Hsing-pang, and it breached court regulations,” he said.
The statue of limitations for the Control Yuan to mete out punishment against public officials and civil servants has passed, Chen Shih-meng added.
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