More political figures and police officials were yesterday embroiled in a corruption scandal centering on former Supreme Court judge Shih Mu-chin (石木欽) and Chia Her Industrial Co (佳和集團) president Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾).
Local Chinese-language media reported that Weng allegedly made political donations to lawmakers and city councilors from major parties during election campaigns, and treated high-ranking police officials to banquets and gifts to allegedly buy influence.
Shih in a media interview denied the accusations, saying that he had done nothing wrong.
Photo: CNA
He did not contravene the regulations governing judges, he said.
“The whole thing caused great damage to my reputation in the judiciary” and he is considering whether to sue the people who tainted his reputation, he added.
Earlier media reports citing a Control Yuan probe into the scandal had said that in the early 2000s, Weng — in addition to allegedly buying off judges, prosecutors and other members of the justice system — also organized banquets to meet with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who was chief of police at the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Taipei at the time.
Weng also reportedly met with former minister of national defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明).
Legal reform advocates from the Taiwan Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Protection Association on Tuesday issued a statement accusing the Judicial Yuan of trying to protect top judges from prosecution in the case, naming former Supreme Court chief judge Hung Chang-hung (洪昌宏) and former Supreme Court judge Hung Chia-ping (洪佳濱).
It accused the Judicial Yuan of handing out lenient punishments, with only internal disciplinary measures meted out to Hung Chia-ping, as he was among the 13 judges considered to have had a lesser involvement with Weng. Their cases would not be forwarded to the Control Yuan for further investigation.
“It was revealed that Hung Chia-ping met with Weng 10 times and received gifts six times. After the allegations came to light, the Judicial Yuan tried to protect him and other judges from prosecution by expediting to approve their request for retirement,” the statement said.
The association also alleged that Hung Chang-hung, as the Supreme Court chief judge in 2004, attended a banquet at a luxury hotel in Taipei hosted by an attorney surnamed Huang (黃).
Hung Chang-hung at the time reportedly presided over an appeal case where Huang was the defense lawyer.
“By doing so, he grossly violated the ethical behavior and regulations governing judges. The wrongdoing was highly egregious, but the Judicial Yuan’s report did not mention this violation and did not forward this judge for punishment or disciplinary measures,” the statement said.
The association referred to the case as the judiciary’s worst scandal of the century.
Judicial probes have alleged widespread bribe-taking, abuse of authority, conflict of interest and other illicit activities by more than 200 judicial and government officials, including judges, prosecutors, investigators, military and police officials, as well as political figures to whom Shih introduced Weng.
Findings from the probes and witness testimony pointed to Shih, a judge at the Supreme Court and appellate courts, who became a close friend of Weng when litigation involving him began in 1995 over legal disputes about a US$10 million check against the UK-based bank Barclays.
Weng allegedly provided financial benefits to judges and prosecutors through insider trading on company stocks under his control, along with gifts and banquets, in exchange for favorable rulings on nine litigation cases.
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