Presidential Office Appoints Acting Prosecutor-General, Drawing Criticism; Ministry of Justice: There Are Precedents
Taiwan's Presidential Office appointed Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang as acting Prosecutor-General, drawing criticism from the opposition. The Ministry of Justice explained that there are precedents for such appointments and it is a necessary measure to ensure the continued operation of the Supreme Prosecutors Office and protect citizens' rights. They emphasized that a vacant Prosecutor-General position would lead to operational stagnation, making a provisional acting appointment indispensable.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 14:25
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 14:31 (6 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 11, 2026 at 21:59 (7h 27m after Collected)
Central Message
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Yang-yu, Taipei, 11th) The Presidential Office issued a letter to the Ministry of Justice, appointing Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang as acting Prosecutor-General, which has drawn questions from the opposition. Deputy Minister of Justice Feng Cheng stated today that an institution cannot be without a leader, cannot halt operations, and certainly cannot affect people's rights, and there have been precedents for acting Prosecutor-Generals in the past.
Prosecutor-General nominee Hsu Hsi-hsiang failed to pass the Legislative Yuan's approval threshold. Former Supreme Prosecutors Office Prosecutor-General Hsing Tai-chao's term expired on the 7th. The Ministry of Justice has received an official letter from the Presidential Office, appointing Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang as acting Prosecutor-General starting from the 8th, to exercise relevant powers.
Today, the Legislative Yuan's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee jointly reviewed proposed amendments to some articles of the Code of Criminal Procedure submitted by both ruling and opposition legislators. Feng Cheng and others attended to explain and answer questions. Today's agenda only included questions and answers, without article-by-article review.
During questioning, ruling and opposition legislators focused on the acting Prosecutor-General case. KMT legislator Wu Tsung-hsien questioned that President Lai Ching-te once said on Lawyers' Day last year that "the era of administrative interference in the judiciary is over," but from this case and the nomination of Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin as a member of the Central Election Commission, these two personnel cases severely undermine the system, arguing that the government is extending its political hand into the deepest parts of the prosecutorial system.
Feng Cheng said that since the Prosecutor-General's personnel approval case did not receive the Legislative Yuan's consent, and to ensure that the Supreme Prosecutors Office's election supervision, investigation, and extraordinary appeal duties can proceed as usual, and to avoid affecting people's rights, the Ministry of Justice reported to the Executive Yuan to relay to the President to appoint an acting Prosecutor-General candidate. He stated there is no issue of the prosecutorial system serving politics.
Feng Cheng stated that for the acting Prosecutor-General, seniority is an option, but not the only standard. He added that the acting Prosecutor-General is administrative and temporary, and there have been precedents. For example, when former Prosecutor-General Chen Chung-ming resigned, Chief Prosecutor Tseng Yung-fu of the Supreme Prosecutors Office served as acting Prosecutor-General.
Feng Cheng said that the Ministry of Justice respects the Legislative Yuan's authority, but Hsing Tai-chao has left office, and if there is no acting Prosecutor-General, the Supreme Prosecutors Office will halt. Someone must act; an institution cannot be without a leader. Normal administrative functions must operate, and people's right to relief cannot be taken lightly.
DPP legislator Shen Fa-hui cited the case where former President Ma Ying-jeou appointed Tseng Yung-fu as acting Prosecutor-General in the past, and asked why the DPP administration cannot appoint an acting official now, stating that this matter is entirely in accordance with precedent and needs to be clearly explained. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150511
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(Central News Agency reporter Wang Yang-yu, Taipei, 11th) The Presidential Office issued a letter to the Ministry of Justice, appointing Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang as acting Prosecutor-General, which has drawn questions from the opposition. Deputy Minister of Justice Feng Cheng stated today that an institution cannot be without a leader, cannot halt operations, and certainly cannot affect people's rights, and there have been precedents for acting Prosecutor-Generals in the past.
Prosecutor-General nominee Hsu Hsi-hsiang failed to pass the Legislative Yuan's approval threshold. Former Supreme Prosecutors Office Prosecutor-General Hsing Tai-chao's term expired on the 7th. The Ministry of Justice has received an official letter from the Presidential Office, appointing Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hsi-hsiang as acting Prosecutor-General starting from the 8th, to exercise relevant powers.
Today, the Legislative Yuan's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee jointly reviewed proposed amendments to some articles of the Code of Criminal Procedure submitted by both ruling and opposition legislators. Feng Cheng and others attended to explain and answer questions. Today's agenda only included questions and answers, without article-by-article review.
During questioning, ruling and opposition legislators focused on the acting Prosecutor-General case. KMT legislator Wu Tsung-hsien questioned that President Lai Ching-te once said on Lawyers' Day last year that "the era of administrative interference in the judiciary is over," but from this case and the nomination of Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin as a member of the Central Election Commission, these two personnel cases severely undermine the system, arguing that the government is extending its political hand into the deepest parts of the prosecutorial system.
Feng Cheng said that since the Prosecutor-General's personnel approval case did not receive the Legislative Yuan's consent, and to ensure that the Supreme Prosecutors Office's election supervision, investigation, and extraordinary appeal duties can proceed as usual, and to avoid affecting people's rights, the Ministry of Justice reported to the Executive Yuan to relay to the President to appoint an acting Prosecutor-General candidate. He stated there is no issue of the prosecutorial system serving politics.
Feng Cheng stated that for the acting Prosecutor-General, seniority is an option, but not the only standard. He added that the acting Prosecutor-General is administrative and temporary, and there have been precedents. For example, when former Prosecutor-General Chen Chung-ming resigned, Chief Prosecutor Tseng Yung-fu of the Supreme Prosecutors Office served as acting Prosecutor-General.
Feng Cheng said that the Ministry of Justice respects the Legislative Yuan's authority, but Hsing Tai-chao has left office, and if there is no acting Prosecutor-General, the Supreme Prosecutors Office will halt. Someone must act; an institution cannot be without a leader. Normal administrative functions must operate, and people's right to relief cannot be taken lightly.
DPP legislator Shen Fa-hui cited the case where former President Ma Ying-jeou appointed Tseng Yung-fu as acting Prosecutor-General in the past, and asked why the DPP administration cannot appoint an acting official now, stating that this matter is entirely in accordance with precedent and needs to be clearly explained. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150511
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship of yours is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Unauthorized reproduction, broadcast, transmission, or utilization of the text, images, and videos on this website is prohibited.