The Judicial Yuan on Thursday forwarded the cases of six high-ranking judges to the Control Yuan for further investigation of alleged involvement in a corruption scandal centering on former Supreme Court judge Shih Mu-chin (石木欽) and Chia Her Industrial Co (佳和集團) president Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾).
The decision followed a lengthy session of the Judicial Evaluation Committee, which lasted more than seven hours.
Based on the findings of judiciary agencies, the committee said that six judges had committed serious transgressions in their alleged involvement with Weng while he was facing nine litigation cases in the 1990s.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The judges were accused of abuse of authority, conflict of interest, insider trading and bribe-taking.
The most severe cases were those of former Supreme Administrative Court president Lin Chi-fu (林奇福), former Supreme Court chief judge Yen Nan-chuan (顏南全) and former Tainan District Court judge Su Yi-chou (蘇義洲), as they had presided over litigation involving Weng, who received favorable rulings in those matters, the committee said.
Three others — former High Court chief judge Lin Chin-chun (林金村), and two former High Court Tainan Branch judges Tseng Ping-shan (曾平杉) and Chen Yi-chung (陳義仲) — did not preside over Weng’s cases, but were found to have attended dinners with him and received gifts, the committee said.
After confirming the results of previous investigations that had concluded that the judges had breached judicial ethics rules, the committee recommended that the Control Yuan render disciplinary measures. The committee also rescinded the “Judiciary First-Class Medal” awards previously conferred on Lin Chin-chun and Lin Chi-fu, the first time such an honor has been revoked, it said.
Responding to questions on the case, Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊) yesterday said: “Each Control Yuan member has independent authority. As the judiciary is the nation’s gatekeeper in upholding justice, I believe each member will fully carry out their duty to safeguard justice to the very end.”
“The Control Yuan is the nation’s highest auditing agency, and within it, we set up the National Human Rights Commission in August last year. So it now also carries the important mission of promoting and protecting human rights,” she added.
Chen made the remarks on the sidelines of an exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Control Yuan.
She lauded the agency for its digital transformation plan, which was on display at the event.
The plan aims to boost agency efficiency and enhance its digital facilities to improve communication and interaction with the public.
“This special exhibition is not just about looking back on the past, but also about working toward the future,” she said.
The exhibition runs until April 30.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard