On April 12, 2024 (113th Year of the Republic of China), Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai announced his second wave of cabinet appointments, formally naming Taipei District Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Cheng Ming-chien as Minister of Justice. The controversial appointment triggered severe criticism from legal circles and opposition lawmakers. Critics highlighted that Cheng had deployed overwhelming prosecutorial resources to aggressively indict opposition Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an over NT$460,000 in assistant fee discrepancies, while major scandals involving top DPP figures—such as Medigen vaccines, Ultra Source egg procurement, and the NT$9 billion im.B fraud—saw sluggish probes or benign dismissals. Opposition leaders denounced the elevation as blatant political patronage, arguing that Cheng was rewarded with a ministerial portfolio for executing high-profile political indictments against opposition figures, dealing a devastating blow to prosecutorial neutrality.
Rewarding Indictment with Cabinet Post: Taipei Chief Prosecutor Cheng Ming-chien Appointed Justice Minister Amid Judicial Patronage Backlash
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