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Ma’s office dismisses Shao report,
but contradicts Su
By Ko Shu-ling and Rich Chang / Staff Reporters
Democratic Progressive Party
legislators in Taipei yesterday show what they said is evidence that Judicial
Yuan Vice President Su Yeong-chin recommended controversial Supreme Court Judge
Shao Yen-ling to President Ma Ying-jeou for nomination to the Council of Grand
Justices.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
The Presidential Office and Judicial Yuan
Vice President Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽) yesterday gave inconsistent responses to
media allegations that Supreme Court Judge Shao Yen-ling (邵燕玲) had been
recommended by Su to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for nomination to the Council
of Grand Justices.
A report in the Chinese--language Next Magazine yesterday said that Shao was
originally not on the list of nine people recommended by the screening committee
headed by Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長).
However, Shao was later added to the list because of a recommendation by Su, who
is the brother of former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起)
and Ma’s high school classmate, the report said.
Su Yeong-chin yesterday said in a press statement that he did not know Shao and
he never recommended Shao to the task force.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), on the other hand, did not
deny the allegation yesterday that Su Yeong-chin had recommended Shao to Ma.
However, Lo also said that Shao was on the list of nine candidates recommended
by the screening committee, adding that he regretted that the Next Magazine
published a report based on erroneous facts provided by an anonymous source.
Shao caused public outrage last year by ruling that a man found guilty of
sexually molesting a three-year-old deserved a reduced sentence because the
toddler did not resist his advances strongly enough.
Ma on April 1 apologized in person to the country for nominating Shao for a seat
on the Council of Grand Justices, saying he did not have prior knowledge of
Shao’s involvement in the controversial ruling.
Lo said yesterday that Ma had already “faced the mistake candidly” and
apologized to the public.
“That is the whole truth,” Lo added. “Please don’t mislead the public with false
information provided by an anonymous source.”
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