Judicial Yuan President Rai Hau-min called for judicial reform that will restore people’s trust in the legal system.
He made the comment at the first meeting of the National Judicial Reform Promotion Committee Jan. 10, bringing legal experts and officials together in an effort to improve the judicial system.
“People’s faith is the lifeblood of justice and their support is the motivation for reforms,” Rai said. “Judicial reforms must obtain the backing of every citizen.”
Rai pointed out that although there were some reform achievements in the past, they obviously did not meet people’s expectations, especially regarding judges’ ethics and the quality of rulings.
“Judicial reform from now on will focus on five main issues—judicial discipline, judges’ attitudes in hearing a case, quality of judgments, efficiency and people’s trust,” Rai said.
National Tsing Hua University professor Lee Chia-tung stressed at the meeting that judges should make their rulings based solely on the law, avoiding undue concern for public sentiment.
Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu noted that courses on international human rights standards at the Training Institute for Judges and Prosecutors would be beefed up.
The direction of judicial reform was the main issue discussed at the meeting. Subcommittees and working groups on issues such as eliminating corruption, reforming criminal and civil procedure, and setting up online judicial services were also established.
The committee will meet every three months for a year and proposals that are finalized will be implemented immediately, the Judicial Yuan said.
Other committee members present at the meeting included Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming, National Taiwan University Dean of Law Tsai Ming-cheng, and Environment and Development Foundation Chairman Chai Sung-lin. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw