Taiwan's chief prosecutor charged with leaking legal secrets
Huang Shyh-ming accused of illegally divulging details about an investigation to Taiwan's leader
Taiwanese top prosecutor Huang Shyh-ming has been charged with leaking classified information about an investigation involving the legislative speaker to the island's president.
Huang, the prosecutor general, has denied the accusation and said he would resign if found guilty. He faces up to three years in jail if convicted. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, of the ruling Kuomintang, could also be charged over the matter, legal experts said, but he has immunity until his term expires in 2016.
Citing two reports provided by Ma, Taipei prosecutors said Huang had improperly disclosed details about wiretapped telephone conversations that allegedly showed speaker Wang Jin-pyng had lobbied top judicial officials on behalf of a key Democratic Progressive Party figure. It was illegal to divulge details of an inquiry that was not completed, said a spokesman for the Taipei District Public Prosecutors Office.
"For this, the defendant was found to have violated the Criminal Code and the Communication Security and Surveillance Act, which bar people from leaking investigation materials to others before the investigation is completed," the spokesman said.
It is the first time Taiwan's top prosecutor has been indicted on criminal charges.
According to the indictment, Huang went to see Ma on the night of August 31 to brief him about the telephone calls. The wiretaps allegedly revealed Wang had pressed leading judicial officials to intervene in a matter involving Ker Chien-ming, the legislative caucus whip of the pro-independence DPP. Wang allegedly did not want a prosecutor to appeal a not-guilty verdict that Ker had received in a criminal breach-of-trust case.
