The Control Yuan on Monday asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the constitutionality of legislative amendments passed in May, saying that they allow the Legislative Yuan to usurp its power.
The petition was filed by Yang Chang-hsien (楊昌憲), head of the Control Yuan’s Department of Supervisory Investigation, and attorney Lee Yuan-te (李元德) on behalf of the government watchdog at the Judicial Yuan in Taipei on Monday afternoon.
They also filed an application for an injunction to halt enforcement of the revisions to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Criminal Code that were signed into law by President William Lai (賴清德) last week.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The Control Yuan is the latest entity to challenge the amendments at the Constitutional Court, following the Cabinet, Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus.
The court has agreed to review the DPP’s petition on the constitutionality of the amendments and its application for an injunction.
It is not yet clear whether it would make the same decision on the other petitions and applications, or whether it would merge the separate filings.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Yuan, which oversees the Constitutional Court, said that the court should consolidate multiple petitions on the same legal disputes, but the justices have yet to determine whether the disputes are of the same nature.
The Control Yuan said that the amendments, which took effect on Thursday last week, undermined its investigative powers accorded in articles 95 and 96 of the Constitution.
The revisions give the legislature new investigative powers, including the power to hold hearings, while public officials are subject to fines and jail time if they refuse to attend hearings or provide information, or if they are deemed to have presented false information.
In the case of individuals or groups from the private sector, they would face penalties if they are deemed uncooperative.
The measures fail to make a clear distinction between the investigatory powers of the Control Yuan and those of the Legislative Yuan, Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
At a news conference on Wednesday last week, Lee cited the Constitutional Court’s Interpretation No. 585 — its 2004 judgement on the scope of legislative authority — which says that the legislature’s investigative powers should “not grow unchecked” under “the principles of separation of powers, and checks and balances.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers, who pushed the amendments through on May 28, said that the revisions were necessary to check the power of the government.
That was especially true given allegations of corruption and wrongdoing relating to several major DPP government policies and investment projects that the government has never had to answer for, they said.
The Control Yuan is a branch of government dedicated to investigating improper or illegal behavior by government agencies, government officials and civil servants.
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
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS