Ex-prosecutor-general ordered to pay DPP lawmaker NT$620,000

Former State Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (???) was ordered by the Taipei District Court Monday to pay Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ker Chien-ming (???) NT$620,000 (US$19,628) in a high-profile case involving the leakage of confidential information.

Ker had filed a lawsuit against Huang, a former head of the Special Investigation Division (SID) probing a case involving Ker and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (???) in 2013, accusing him of leaking confidential information concerning an ongoing judicial investigation.

Huang was sentenced in February 2015 to one year and three months in jail, commutable to a fine of NT$450,000, in the criminal suit. The latest fine was the result of a civil suit.

In another ruling, the District Court also ruled that Huang should pay Prosecutor Lin Hsiu-tao (???) NT$300,000 for illegally tapping her phone conversations with her daughter as part of the SID probe into suspected lobbying involving Ker and Wang.

The court found that in addition to approving an illegal wiretap and leaking information about an ongoing criminal investigation to then-President Ma Ying-jeou (???), Huang also approved a transcript of a wiretapped conversation when the SID reported possible misconduct based on a conversation it overheard between Wang and Ker.

In the conversation, the two discussed lobbying two senior justice officials to prevent any appeal against Ker's acquittal in June 2013 in a breach of trust case, the SID said.

Huang's actions in reporting to the president had no constitutional basis, as the Republic of China Constitution does not list the president as the head of the Legislative Yuan, Ministry of Justice or Executive Yuan.

The Ministry of Justice committee determined that Huang had undermined the credibility of the Supreme Prosecutors Office, the SID's superior authority. It recommended his dismissal and Huang resigned in March, 2014 after being sentenced to a 14-month jail term, which was later increased to 15 months.

The case, widely seen as a political struggle between Ma and Wang, is not yet over, as the Taipei District Court has summoned the former president to appear in court Nov. 8 to defend himself regarding allegations that he was responsible for Huang's leaking of confidential information.

The suit has been filed by Ker, who accuses Ma of encouraging Huang to leak information concerning an ongoing investigation to then-Premier Jiang Yi-huah (???) in 2013.

The district court's chief prosecutor, Chou Shih-yu (???) has been assigned the job of investigating Ker's accusations against Ma, court officials said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel