It has been twenty years since the suspicious death of Captain Yin Ching-feng, the head of procurement for Taiwanese navy. In July 2000 when former president Chen Shui-bian decreed an investigation into Mr. Yin’s death, the then prosecutor general of Taipei District Prosecutors Office Huang Shih-ming, did not cooperate, for which he was downgraded to a position in Supreme Prosecutors Office. Surprisingly, after KMT’s Ma Ying-jeou took the presidency, Huang Shih-ming was promoted to head the Supreme Prosecutors Office.
Even more unexpected was his move to reverse the 10-odd years prison sentences given to the five high ranking military personnel charged for involvement in Captain Yin’s death sought by Special Investigation Division. Huang’s pretext was - to free those defendants from the torturous judicial process. Thereafter, the deeply intertwined link between “Yin Case” and “Lafayette frigate Case” was no longer associated to each other.
Plus other kickbacks, Andrew Wang, the intermediator in the procurement of Lafayettee frigates, could have gained an unlawful commission reaching as high as $920 million (NT$30-strong billion). Among those rewarded illegally was Major Guo Li-heng, whose Swiss bank account with more than NT$1.2 billion was revealed later. (It has been reported that Guo would be released from jail soon.) It is believed that other perpetrators in Captain Yin’s death and those pocketed embezzlement in the procurement project of Lafayettee frigate are still at large. In addition to the efforts manipulated by Huang Shih-ming, unfortunately the intricate connection between political party, politics and military has also prevented those involved from being held accountable. At a time when opposing voice seems disappearing, the recently published memoir of former National Security Council secretary general Kang Ning-hsiang presents a disapproving view toward the position that the high ranking military staff with closer tie to former Premier Hua Pei-tsun should be cleared.
After his unjust death, former president Lee Ting-hei as well as Chen Shiu-bian honored the deceased captain with medals, in an attempt to compensate Yin’s general credential. All that was nonetheless stymied by the navy. Yet, the recent visit to a temple by Legislative Speaker Wang King-pin offers a looming optimism regarding the Lafayettee case. Following the visit, Wang told a legislator that there could be a considerable revelation about the case twenty years after Yin’s mysterious death. Hopefully, then the un-convenient truth about the triangle linkage of political party, politics and military in Captain Yin’s death would become clear.
Thus, justice will be done.
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