Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan on Tuesday voted to approve the appointment of veteran prosecutor Hsing Tai-chao (???) as the chief of Taiwan’s highest prosecutorial body.
Despite lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party boycotting the confirmation vote, the 113-seat legislature approved Hsing’s nomination as prosecutor-general of the Supreme Prosecutors Office in a 65-0 vote, with 48 abstentions.
Hsing, who is currently chief prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, said after the confirmation vote that he would insist on judicial independence and uphold professional quality after taking on his new position.
Hsing added that he would encourage prosecutors to continue improving their knowledge and skill in safeguarding public interest while protecting the rights of individuals.
The 63-year-old prosecutor was named by President Tsai Ing-wen (???) at the end of March to replace incumbent Chiang Hui-ming (???), whose tenure will end on May 7.
Announcing Hsing’s nomination, the Presidential Office noted his three decades of experience and highly praised leadership style.
Meanwhile, at a press conference Tuesday, KMT legislative caucus whip Tseng Ming-chung (???) said the party’s lawmakers abstained from the vote in opposition to what they described as Hsing’s favoritism toward the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The KMT said that Hsing’s apparent closeness to the DPP cast doubts on the veteran prosecutor’s ability to uphold judicial independence.
The opposition party pointed to several controversial investigations overseen by Hsing as head of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office from 2016 to 2020 as evidence, including a 2018 case in which former President Ma Ying-jeou (???) was charged with illegally selling three media companies owned by the KMT over a decade prior.
In 2021, the Taipei District Court acquitted Ma on charges of breach of trust and irregular transactions, a decision that has since been appealed by prosecutors.
Before assuming the role of chief prosecutor at the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office in 2020, Hsing had served as the head of the district prosecutors office in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, as well as deputy minister of justice.
He passed the Bar examination in 1985 and obtained a master’s degree in law from Chinese Culture University in 1988, according to the Taiwan High Prosecutor’s Office.
Under the Court Organization Law, the prosecutor-general is tasked with supervising and directing prosecutors and prosecution affairs nationwide in their five-year tenure, which is not extendable. The position is appointed by the president but requires legislative approval.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel