High Prosecutors Office chief sacked by Justice Ministry
By Queena Yen , The China Post
December 21, 2013, 12:07 am TWN
Chen Shou-huang gives an interview to local media in front of his office at the Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office, yesterday, saying he will respect the decision to discharge him from his current position as the head prosecutor. The Executive Yuan approved the decision by the Ministry of Justice yesterday afternoon. (CNA)
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Premier Jiang Yi-hua (江宜樺) approved the decision to discharge Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) from his position as the head prosecutor of Taiwan High Prosecutors Office (高檢署) over his involvement in an influence-peddling case, Cabinet spokesperson Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ, 法務部) pointed out that after they received the decision of the Prosecutors Evaluation Committee (PEC, 檢評會), the MOJ decided not only to admonish Chen and another prosecutor, Lin Hsiu-tao (林秀濤), over the case but also to dismiss Chen from his current position and transfer him to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (最高檢).
According to the MOJ, the PEC confirmed the fact that Chen was influenced by Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Speaker of the Legislative Yuan, in a case involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘). Chen told the investigating prosecutor Lin to drop the appeal of Ker's case after the first trial which found Ker innocent, allegedly at Wang's request.
The PEC ruled that Chen's behavior was misconduct and violated judicial ethics. It announced on Dec. 14 that Chen should be admonished for his illegal conduct.
Although the PEC suggested that Chen be admonished over the charge of involvement in the influence-peddling case, the Prosecutors' Personnel Review Committee (檢察官人事審議委員會) still decided yesterday morning to discharge Chen as the head prosecutor. The decision was sent to the Executive Yuan yesterday afternoon and was approved by the Premier.
Chen Faces the Decision 'with appreciation'
In responding to the decision of the MOJ, Chen said he is innocent yet he will respect this judgment.
Chen said that something unexpected will always come up in life and he will face it with appreciation, adding that working in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be beneficial to him as he will learn and gain a lot from the experience. He said he will also face every challenge with a positive attitude in the future.
