Top prosecutor apologizes for phone tapping controversy
2013/09/29 00:38:09
Taipei, Sept. 28 (CNA) State Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming apologized late Saturday for a phone tapping controversy which erupted from the recent political battle between President Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng.
Ma's recent attempt to oust Wang for alleged influence peddling had revealed that the Special Investigation Division (SID), which is under Huang's office the Supreme Prosecutors Office, had been tapping several phone numbers, including opposition Legislator Ker Chien-ming's cell phone and the Legislative Yuan's switchboard number 0972630235.
This has raised concerns in local society over potential invasion of privacy and abuse of power.
Huang on Saturday admitted that the SID had tapped a Legislature's phone number but said it did not know that the number 0972630235 was one of the lawmaking body's seven lines under a cost-saving system when it began to monitor the line over a suspected bribery case involving Ker of the Democratic Progressive Party.
He said the SID investigators had thought the number belonged to Ker, whom it was suspecting of involving in a bribery case.
The SID decided to wiretap the phone number after an aide of Ker asked an unidentified person over this phone line to remit a big sum of money into bank accounts designated by Ker, Huang said.
At the time, Huang said, the SID investigators thought that the phone number was a mobile phone applied by the Legislature for Ker to use and that Ker later had his aide use it.
Huang said the SID came to learn that the number was the Legislature's sub-switchboard number only after the Legislature confirmed Saturday that the number had been designated as one of its seven discounted phone lines since August 2006.
As the Legislature's official website states its switchboard number as 02-23585858 and does not display 0972630235 as its cost-saving sub-switchboard number, the SID began to wiretap it after acquiring an approval from the Taipei District Court in May this year.
Huang said the SID later found that the equipment at the agency responsible for wiretapping this phone line could not perform the work.
"As a result, the tape was blank," Huang said, adding that the SID then decided to stop tapping that phone number.
On Saturday, Huang apologized for contributing to a controversy over wiretapping, but stopped short of apologizing for wiretapping.
"Due to having incorrect information, the SID staff gave inaccurate information during a news conference at 10:30 a.m. this morning. This created confusion in society. On behalf of the SID staff, I apologize to the nation," Huang said.
His apology came after Ker said at a news conference Saturday morning that he had received a notice from the court that the wiretapping of his phones had been discontinued, following his acquittal in a breach of trust case.
The notice listed several numbers that had been under surveillance, including Ker's cell phone number and the Legislative Yuan's switchboard number 0972630235, Ker said.
"It's outrageous and unbelievable that even the Legislature's phone was wiretapped," Ker said.
Citing the court notice, Ker said the SID monitored the phone number 0972630235 from May 15 to Sept. 9.
(By Tseng Ying-yu, Liu Shih-yi and Sofia Wu)
