“After soliciting expert opinions from different fields over the past month, I nominated Rai and Su,” Ma said. “Their passion for judicial reform and the legal profession, integrity, and experience heading independent organizations make them perfect candidates.”
Rai, current chairman of the Cabinet-level Central Election Commission, and Su, a law professor at National Chengchi University, were also nominated as justices of the Constitutional Court by the president.
Ma said successful judicial reform requires collaboration between judges, prosecutors, lawyers, legal academics, interest groups and the public, adding that he has every confidence in Rai and Su’s ability to restore public faith in the judiciary.
Rai and Su’s nomination must still be confirmed by the Legislature, with lawmakers expected to vote on the matter during their next regular session starting late September.
The 71-year-old Rai said he was surprised to learn of his nomination but would do his utmost to build a judicial system known for its incorruptible judges, efficient proceedings and quality trial standards.
Echoing Rai’s comments, Su, 59, conceded the task would be a difficult one but is committed to implementing judicial reform.
Commenting on the nominations, Nigel Li—a renowned Taipei-based lawyer—said as the first nominee to be a former attorney, Rai will be able to draw upon his experiences in improving the judicial system.
Taiwan’s Judicial Reform Foundation, a nongovernmental organization, urged Rai to clearly state his stance on issues such as the mechanism for eliminating unqualified judges and improving the court system to make the process more transparent.
The positions of Judicial Yuan president and vice president have been vacant since Lai In-jaw and Hsieh Tsay-chuan, respectively, resigned in July after assuming responsibility for the scandal in which three Taiwan High Court judges were arrested on suspicion of corruption. (JSM)