Taipei Police Commissioner Chen Jia-chang (陳嘉昌) and former Songshan Precinct chief Lin Chih-cheng (林志誠) yesterday reported to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and handed over their mobile phones amid an investigation into an alleged cover-up by police.
On April 16, about 10 people stormed into the Zhonglun Police Station in Songshan Precinct as they pursued a training instructor after an argument and damaged a computer in the process.
No arrests or charges were bought against the 10.
Photo: CNA
The incident only came to light on Wednesday last week, when a post on Facebook mentioned the incident, questioning why they were treated so leniently.
Lin initially said that surveillance footage from inside the station was missing due to a power outage at the time.
However, on Tuesday, he said that Hsu Shu-huan (許書桓), who was removed from his position as Zhonglun Police Station director on Thursday last week after the incident came to light, had accidentally deleted the footage.
The case seems to have turned into a political row and a power struggle between the Taipei City Government and its police force, and the National Police Agency (NPA), which is administered by the Ministry of the Interior.
Pressed by heightened public scrutiny and allegations of a cover-up, NPA Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) on Thursday demanded that Chen Jia-chang hand over his mobile phone to the Criminal Investigation Bureau to examine his communication records.
However, Chen Jia-chang refused and, along with Lin, went instead to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, where they handed in their phones.
Both were questioned by the prosecutors.
“I believe the public has more confidence in the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, and will accept the outcome of their investigation,” Chen Jia-chang told reporters, adding that he is willing to take a lie detector test.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he supported the actions of the two officials.
“The case is now under judicial investigation, but the presumption of innocence until proven guilty has been lost,” he said. “How can the NPA chief demand that Taipei police officials hand over their phones and personal communication records?”
“It seems that Chen Jia-chang and Lin are already being treated like suspects. Is this legal? The judiciary must uphold justice for all people, and not tarnish the public’s respect for top police officials. So I agree with their reporting to Taipei prosecutors, to let professionals conduct a fair and just investigation,” Ko said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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