Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) can rest easy now after the Control Yuan yesterday failed again to impeach him over his role in the “September strife” scandal sparked by efforts to oust Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and therefore his at-large legislative seat.
After reportedly intense discussions, 12 Control Yuan members voted 6-6 in a closed-door meeting on an impeachment motion against the prosecutor-general.
Control Yuan probe committee members Hung Te-hsuan (洪德旋) and Wu Feng-shan (吳豐山) submitted the motion shortly after their first impeachment motion was voted down on Nov. 28 last year by a 5-5 decision.
Control Yuan regulations stipulate that an impeachment vote requires a clear majority to be passed and a tie amounts to the defeat of the motion.
An impeachment motion also cannot be initiated against an official on the same charges more than twice.
The Control Yuan met on Dec. 10 and Dec. 19 last year to try to bring the motion to a vote. The first meeting was adjourned because there was not a quorum, while members refused to vote on the motion during the second meeting because they said the motion’s investigative report was incomplete.
The motion stems from allegations that Huang leaked classified information about an ongoing investigation by briefing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 last year on the Special Investigation Division (SID) probe into allegations of improper lobbying by Wang.
Huang also allegedly showed Ma the transcript of a telephone conversation between Wang and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) that came from a wiretap.
Reports that the division had tapped Ker’s telephones triggered a scandal following revelations that the legislature’s switchboard had also been bugged in the process.
Huang previously promised to step down before his term expires in April should he be impeached by the Control Yuan or found guilty of leaking classified information in the first trial of a case brought against him by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Nov. 1.
After wrapping up a two-month investigation, the Ministry of Justice Prosecutors’ Evaluation Committee on Dec. 14 recommended that Huang be dismissed for leaking information to Ma.
However, since it usually takes six months for a verdict to be handed down in the first trial of a case, which, along with the failure of the impeachment motion, could mean Huang would be able to complete his term.
While DPP lawmakers were sharply critical of the Control Yuan after yesterday’s vote, KMT legislators were divided on the result.
The public has lost faith in the Control Yuan, which has apparently forgotten its constitutional duties and its reason for existence, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said.
DPP Legislator Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) said the result was unexpected, particularly given that Huang’s alleged wrongdoings had also been “confirmed” by the ministry’s “neutral” committee.
“Vetoing the motion is tantamount to being an accomplice to Huang. We may as well dissolve the Control Yuan,” she said, urging the government to revise the threshold for impeachment of officials.
KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) said he respected the vote, adding that there was no point impeaching Huang, given he only had three months left in the job.
However, KMT Legislator Chen Ken-te (陳根德) said Control Yuan members had acted against public opinion to keep their own jobs.
“Even if they were to be nominated again for Control Yuan membership, their nominations would require our [the legislature’s] seal of approval. Do they really think they will have our support after we find out they have voted against the motion?” Chen said.
Huang refused to comment on the results of yesterday’s vote, as did the SID and Wang.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS