The uproar sparked by Monday's search of former Legislative Yuan Speaker Liu Sung-pan's (劉松藩) residence showed no signs of flagging yesterday.
Taichung District Court Judge Chuang Shen-yuan (莊深淵) led investigators on the search of Liu's Taipei residence in connection with a multi-billion dollar loan scandal to which Liu has been linked.
It is the timing of the raid that has aroused the harshest criticism, coming as it did just 26 days before the presidential election -- and given Liu's recent switch from the KMT to independent presidential candidate James Soong's (宋楚瑜) camp.
However, a number of people have also come out in support of Chuang -- who went on leave starting Tuesday -- and many have sent wreaths of flowers to his court office.
Judges of the Taichung District Court also issued a public statement backing Chuang yesterday, asking society not to destroy the independence of Taiwan's judiciary, which is still in its infancy.
Judge Chiang Te-chien (江德千) said it is not timing, but evidence that a judge has to evaluate during the trial process.
"If any judge has avoided moving ahead with a case because of timing considerations, that is an example of a decision influenced by politics," Chiang said.
"Many people have challenged the timing of Chuang's order, only 26 days before the election. What exactly is good timing? Is it a month ahead of the election or after that?" Chiang asked.
Liu has been linked to the case involving Tseng Cheng-jen (曾正仁), president of the Kuan San Group (廣三集團) and chairman of the board of directors of the Taichung Business Bank (台中企銀). Tseng is suspected of having used his position at the bank in 1998 to funnel loans of over NT$700 million to nearly 100 dummy accounts. Suspicions have been aroused that Liu was involved because he held the chairman's post before Tseng.
Chuang has summoned Liu and KMT legislator Chang Wen-i (張文儀) to testify in a court hearing on March 1.
With the election in a dead heat, accusations are rampant that the KMT is trying to manipulate the judiciary against the other candidates.
But Sue Wang (王時思), executive-general of the Judicial Reform Foundation, said it is no longer possible for the ruling power to intervene in judicial decisions.
However, she said, the party is still able to influence the outcome of certain cases: "Technically, the party isn't able to directly affect judges' decisions. But what's worrying is that it could still hamper a just result by blocking the possibility of evidence being disclosed."
"But I think there is one thing the judges have to think about: When the courts have acted so slowly in handling criminal charges against over 200 lawmakers, and when prosecutors have delayed so long in investigating a questionable multi-million dollar loan made by Vice President Lien Chan (連戰), how could you expect us to have faith in you?" Wang asked.
Meanwhile, a former manager of the bank was found dead after a fall from his Taichung apartment yesterday. His death is being investigated for any link to the Tseng case.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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