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.
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