Five former ranking military personnel involved in the wrongful execution of Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶) who were sued by the Ministry of National Defense must pay the ministry a total of NT$59.57 million (US$1.93 million), the Supreme Court said on Friday as it upheld an earlier verdict.
The ruling, which is final, is the first time that a government agency compensated a plaintiff and then demanded that the directors responsible reimburse the agency.
Chiang, an air force serviceman, was convicted of raping and killing a five-year-old girl on Air Force Command Headquarters premises in 1996 and executed in 1997.
However, the case was reopened in 2010 and Chiang was exonerated in 2011.
The case was concluded without a new conviction in 2015, after Hsu Jung-chou (許榮州), the prime suspect from 2011 to 2013, was found to have confessed his guilt under duress and the court threw out his testimony. Hsu was found not guilty in 2014.
After the ministry paid the Chiang family NT$103 million in compensation, it in 2012 demanded that all eight ranking military personnel involved in the case indemnify the ministry by paying NT$14 million each.
The Supreme Court said that former air force commander lieutenant general Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) and then-Air Force Command legal department director colonel Tsao Chia-sheng (曹嘉生) were largely responsible for the decisions that led to Chiang’s wrongful conviction.
Then-Counterintelligence Division lieutenant colonel Ko Chung-ching (柯仲慶) and then-security officer captain Ho Tzu-yao (何祖耀) were directly complicit, as they tortured Chiang and obtained false confessions, the Supreme Court said in a statement.
Late security officer lieutenant colonel Lee Chih-jen’s (李植仁) and former military prosecutor Huang Jui-peng’s (黃瑞鵬) sentences were confirmed in the first ruling, the Supreme Court said, adding that Lee’s surviving family was ordered to pay the ministry and Huang was exempted from paying.
The High Court in its ruling said that Chen and Ko were largely responsible and should instead pay NT$34 million and NT$25 million respectively, but the Supreme Court said that the ministry had only demanded NT$14 million from each of the ranking personnel involved and that is what they would be ordered to pay.
Lee Shu-chiang (李書強) and Chao Tai-sheng (趙台生), who were also involved, were found not guilty, as they were found not to have helped obtain forced confessions.
Separately, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for the fourth time turned down a motion to charge Chen and others with murder and dereliction of duty and the Taipei District Court denied Chiang’s family’s appeal for the case to go directly to court.
The family’s request was in accordance with article 258, subparagraph 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法).
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
RSS