TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Justice Ministry Administrative Deputy Minister Feng Cheng (馮成) on Monday responded to opposition concerns over possible executive interference in the prosecutorial system after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) appointed Supreme Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang (徐錫祥) as interim prosecutor general.
Lai previously nominated Hsu for prosecutor general, but the legislature rejected the nomination over concerns about his lack of appellate-level prosecution experience and questions surrounding his impartiality. After Prosecutor General Hsing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) retired, Lai appointed Hsu as interim prosecutor general, a position that does not require legislative confirmation.
Citing Hsu’s appointment and Deputy Justice Minister Huang Mou-hsin’s (黃謀信) nomination to the Central Election Commission, KMT Legislator Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) suggested the executive branch was attempting to interfere in the prosecutorial system, per Newtalk. In response, Feng said the government needed to ensure the continued operation of the legal system after Hsu’s nomination failed.
Wu argued that past interim prosecutor general appointments were typically made only when an incumbent was temporarily unable to perform official duties, per UDN. He added that interim appointments were usually drawn from among the more senior Supreme Prosecutors Office chief prosecutors, pointing to Lu Wen-chung (呂文忠) as a more conventional choice.
Feng replied that there were precedents supporting Hsu’s appointment and said factors beyond seniority should also be considered.
Wu then questioned Lai’s insistence on appointing Hsu, noting that Hsu’s previous politically appointed role at the National Security Bureau had already raised concerns among opposition lawmakers.
Feng emphasized that the prosecutor general position could not remain vacant, saying a prolonged vacancy could affect the public’s access to legal recourse.
DPP Legislator Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠) also defended the appointment, noting that former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) appointed then-Supreme Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) as interim prosecutor general after the incumbent resigned in 2010, per Newtalk.
At the time, the Justice Ministry said it had proposed Tseng and three other candidates for the interim role, with Tseng considered the leading candidate because of his longer tenure as chief prosecutor.
KMT Legislator Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) criticized Hsu’s appointment Friday, arguing that appointing a candidate already rejected by the legislature undermines public confidence in judicial neutrality and reinforces concerns about executive interference, per Tai Sounds. She added that lawmakers had asked Hsu during the confirmation process whether he would refuse an interim appointment if his nomination failed, but he declined to give a clear answer.
