The Victory of a "Great" Prosecutor

While investigating a dispute over temple property between two rival factions of management committee members in Pingtung, Prosecutor Wu Wen-cheng abused criminal investigation procedures by designating the Ch'aochou Precinct as a "meeting venue" and ordering police officers to "maintain order" according to his wishes. He even stepped in to chair the meeting himself, forcing both factions to elect a chairperson under his "command and supervision." Those who spoke out of turn were thrown out by the police, and formal court hearing records were solemnly produced. Astonishingly, these criminal interrogation transcripts were ultimately used as the "meeting minutes of the temple election."

Using criminal procedures to handle civil disputes is already outrageous, but even more absurdities followed. The losing faction, feeling aggrieved, refused to hand over official seals, bank passbooks, and real estate documents. Prosecutor Wu actually carried out a "search and seizure," compelling the losing party to surrender them. He then went "above and beyond" by using the procedure for "returning seized items" to hand them over to the winning faction. He single-handedly took over even the procedures of civil compulsory execution.

Who is right and who is wrong between the old and new factions is not the focal point of our concern. What we care about is whether a prosecutor's power is truly lawless and capable of encompassing everything? Criminal investigation of crimes has a defined scope and limits; how can one directly intervene in civil disputes and demand the re-election of a temple's chairperson? How can one "transform" criminal procedures into civil ones while "concurrently handling" compulsory execution? Actions completely devoid of the rule of law and procedural justice, no matter how well-intentioned, are roads paved to hell.

Such a "great" prosecutor, completely unfazed by slander or criticism, turning himself from a neutral mediator into a party to the dispute, is truly terrifying. For the sake of "justice" in his own mind, he abuses procedures and exceeds his authority without a second thought. To "thoroughly solve the problem," he stops at nothing and shows no mercy. To "stand up for the people, make decisions for them," and do the "right" thing, he hesitates not at all. We can only sincerely pray that such a "great" and "proactive" prosecutor will always stand by our side. Ordinary citizens can hardly stand in opposition and contend with him.

I vaguely recall that after we held a press conference to criticize this, the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office issued a statement in the name of the institution to endorse and "back" him. Other prosecutors even called to protest, claiming that we simply had a "Tianlong Country mindset"—arguing eloquently that "this is just how things have to be handled in the countryside!" Results outweigh procedures, and efficacy trumps everything.

Yesterday, the Court of the Judiciary "respected" the resolution of the Prosecutor Evaluation Committee and sentenced Wu only to a painless "admonition." If the four characters for "bureaucrats shielding bureaucrats" have already rotted beyond describing the severe trample upon the rule of law and procedural justice, perhaps this represents the victory of the "concept of justice" within Taiwan's judicial system.

This is the victory of a "great" prosecutor who can transcend the rule of law.