United Daily News: Prosecutors should not be salves to politics
Huang Shih-ming, the nominee for prosecutor-general, told the Legislative Yuan during a hearing on his confirmation March 8 that he was transferred from the post of lead prosecutor of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office in 2001 because he refused to indict Navy Vice Admiral Lei Hsueh-min and eight others who were being probed for alleged corruption in the country’s purchase of six Lafayette-class missile frigates from France in 1991.
Huang told the legislature that Lu Ren-fa, prosecutor-general at that time, talked to him for nine hours, trying to convince him to indict Lei and the others but he refused because the evidence was insufficient to prove their guilt.
Huang’s remarks offer us a glimpse into the case, which is still pending in the Taipei District Court nine years later.
The whole thing started in 2000 when former President Chen Shui-bian ordered a new probe into the scandal surrounding the Lafayettes.
Chen won applause for his promise to get to the bottom of the case even if doing so would compromise the country’s survival.
Lu, who led the team of prosecutors that investigated the case, was put under pressure to find out the truth.
During their nine-hour talks, which lasted until the wee hours of the next day, Huang said he told Lu he would agree to indict Lei and the eight others only if Lu ordered him to do so with a written instruction.
Lu rejected this and replaced him with Shih Mao-lin, who took over as the lead prosecutor.
Instead of indicting the nine over the Lafayettes, Shih prosecuted them July 5, 2001 on charges of steering undue profits to a German seller by inflating prices for four mine hunters acquired by the navy in 1986.
Shih was later promoted to minister of justice by Chen.
Lu brought shame to the prosecution authorities by downgrading himself into a servant of politicians, and undermined the credit of all prosecutors by helping the president manipulate justice for political gains.
He and Shih owe the indicted nine an apology for prosecuting them to please the president.
In contrast with Chen’s manipulating of the judiciary, President Ma Ying-jeou is often blamed for his detachment from the prosecutors, allowing them to drag their feet in probing the scandal surrounding Chen, but doesn’t he deserve applause for giving prosecutors a free hand to carry out their jobs? (March 12, 2010) (By Maubo Chang)
More Info: http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=182371&CtNode=39
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