Taipei, March 31 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday nominated veteran prosecutor Hsing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) to head Taiwan's highest prosecutorial body.
The president named Hsing, who is currently chief prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office to replace incumbent prosecutor-general of the Supreme Prosecutors Office Chiang Hui-ming (江惠民), who ends his tenure on May 7, Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement.
The nomination of Hsing still has to be confirmed by the Legislative Yuan.
Hsing was one of five prosecutors recommended by the Prosecutors Association, ROC (Taiwan), the statement said. The association conducted an internal vote in February and selected the five prosecutors who received the most votes as its list of recommended candidates.
Hsing, 63, has been a prosecutor for over three decades, and his leadership has been highly praised, the statement said, referring to his previous roles as head of the district prosecutors office in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, as well as deputy minister of justice.
In addition, in his capacity as the chief prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, Hsing has overseen investigations into major cases involving drug dealing, financial crimes and national security-related offences, the statement said.
The president hopes the Legislature will support the nomination and that Hsing will advance judicial reforms in Taiwan that meet the expectations of the public if he takes on the new position, the statement added.
According to the Ministry of Justice, Tsai convened the National Conference on Judicial Reform in 2017 to kick off efforts to promote the enhancement of civil participation and transparency in Taiwan's legal system, among other tasks.
Meanwhile, Hsing expressed gratitude for the nomination and told local media later the same day that he will strive to do his best should his nomination be confirmed.
In particular, he will insist on judicial independence and uphold professional quality while pushing for judicial reforms, Hsing said.
Under the Court Organization Law, the prosecutor-general is tasked with supervising and directing prosecutors and prosecution affairs nationwide.
According to the Presidential Office, Hsing graduated from National Chung Hsing University with a Bachelor of Arts in law and obtained a master's degree in jurisprudence from Chinese Culture University in 1988.
