The Control Yuan yesterday passed a motion to impeach former Commission on the Disciplinary Sanctions of Functionaries secretary-general Shih Mu-chin (石木欽) over alleged breaches of the Judges Act (法官法) and failing to avoid conflicts of interest.
The case began last year when Shih was accused of maintaining a friendship with Chia Her Industrial Co president Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾) after Weng was embroiled in legal disputes.
When Shih tendered his resignation last year, he became the commission’s first secretary-general to resign over accusations of moral misconduct.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The Control Yuan investigation said that Shih did not recuse himself when Weng appeared before the court and had allegedly provided Weng with legal advice on the side.
Shih, as a Supreme Court judge until 2017, also failed to recuse himself from the court’s cases involving Weng, despite their friendship, the investigation said.
Control Yuan member Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) said that Shih used his son’s name to purchase 10,000 shares in LandMark Optoelectronics, a company owned by Weng, for NT$11 per share, before selling the shares in 2014 for NT$300 and more per share after LandMark became a listed company.
Shih did not comport himself with the moral integrity expected of a Supreme Court judge and his actions failed to uphold the dignity of the judiciary, the Control Yuan said.
Yesterday, Shih said that past members failed to approve the investigation, while incumbent members ignored evidence advantageous for his case.
“The Control Yuan has brashly passed an impeachment based on imagined crimes,” Shih said, adding that the members ignored written law, which states that legal cases should cite the version of the law in effect at the time of the accusation.
Shih accused Control Yuan members of being “political hitmen” who impeached him solely for the sake of impeachment, saying that it was a sad thing to witness.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS