Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘), engulfed in a wiretapping row, has set a record in the nation’s judicial history as there have been close to 100 litigation cases filed against him since the beginning of last month, sources at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and the Taipei District Court said.
Sources at the prosecutors’ office said that most of the cases involve charges of dereliction of duty, divulging classified information and violating the Communication Security and Surveillance Act (通訊保障及監察法).
As of Thursday, the prosecutors’ office has received 86 motions against Huang, which have been assigned to 14 prosecutors. Reportedly, a common friendly greeting among prosecutors in the past weeks is: “Are you now handling a case on the prosecutor-general?”
A clerk, who wished to remain anonymous, said they have never before encountered such a buzz of activity in the filing of legal motions and litigation against one individual and that the office has been overcome by the number of litigation documents being received.
At the Taipei District Court, eight cases have been filed against Huang, which have been assigned to eight judges.
The head prosecutor at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, Chang Chieh-chin (張介欽), has the most cases under his jurisdiction, 53.
A spokesperson said the office has filed requests with the Special Investigation Division (SID) at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Taipei District Court to examine 30 documents related to authorization for the SID to carry out wiretapping.
“We had to look closely at the documents to see if the SID misled and deceived the courts in order to obtain approval for its wiretapping,” the spokesperson said.
Officials said that Chang is holding closed-door meetings daily with chief prosecutor Yang Jyh-yeu (楊治宇) and deputy chief prosecutor Huang Mou-hsin (黃謀信) to discuss the progress of their investigations.
An unnamed inside source said the prosecutors are now divided into “dove” and “hawk” camps, while noting the doves may win out, and therefore Huang could yet escape criminal prosecution.
However, the “hawk” camp sees Huang’s meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 — before the legal authorization for wiretapping legislators terminated on Sept. 5 — to discuss information gathered from the wiretaps as clear evidence that Huang divulged classified information.
The “dove” camp maintains that it is a case concerning the public interest and therefore it was not a criminal offense for Huang to report the wiretapping to Ma.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said. Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he