Shouldn’t the Prosecutor General Take Over the Ching Fu Investigation?

  Shouldn’t the Prosecutor General Take Over the Ching Fu Investigation?

China Times (Taipei, Taiwan)

November 21, 2017

Translation of an Excerpt

Navy commander Huang Shu-kuang, admitted that it was his decision to advance the payment of NT$2.4 billion to Ching Fu, shouldering all responsibilities in this case. It looks like from the Presidential Office, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Defense, to Kaohsiung City Hall, they have all set a stop loss point in the Ching Fu case. Nevertheless, can the development of the case truly come to a stop? We are afraid that as the Chinese saying goes, “the tree wants to stay still but the wind won’t stop.” In so far as the facts already known are concerned, the minesweeping case, from the public tender for procurement, the syndicated loan from financial services institutions, to the NT$2.4 billion paid in violation of the law, all involved clouds of doubt, especially when high-level officials of Ching Fu entered the Presidential Palace for talks in September last year as the Navy soon thereafter disbursed NT$2.4 billion to Ching Fu. Consequently, the Presidential Palace faced questioning from society. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office surprisingly issued two press statements in one evening, staging a ridiculous drama of correcting the earlier statement by a latter one. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office’s collaboration with the high-echelons of the government was astonishing and incredible.

The matter involves the core leadership of the nation, the picture cannot be allowed to remain fuzzy, and right and wrong should not be confused. The prosecutorial and investigative units should not be allowed to follow the senseless clarifying-style investigation of the Presidential Palace, but should invoke coercive dispositions to intervene in the investigation. In accordance with investigative procedures in a criminal case, the prosecutorial and investigative units may pursue evidence to find out what was actually talked about by Chen Ching-nan and his son with James Huang and David Lee. Who else did the father and son meet? Did they meet with higher level officials? Did James Huang and David Lee later talk about the disbursement of funds in the minesweeper case with other officials? In addition, did any officials from the Presidential Palace come forward to "arrange" land for Ching Fu? This must be investigated. The prosecutorial and investigative units should simultaneously investigate the Navy and the Ministry of Defense. Could the Navy commander himself use funds from the Army and Air Force budgets? Could the Administrative Vice Minister approve a memo in blatant violation of the resolution of the Legislative Yuan, disbursing NT$2.4 billion to Ching Fu? Were there truly no instructions from the Defense Ministry? Was there no connection with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces?

The Presidential Palace is no ordinary government office; all acts and conversations by high-level Ching Fu officials after having entered the Presidential Palace, besides records in writing, should have been recorded by audio and video devices. The prosecutorial and investigative offices should be in full control of the opportunities for investigation, and seize important evidence, including these records. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office has become a laughingstock; the Procurator General should take over the investigation and fight for the very dignity of the entire criminal justice system.

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