Former Ministry of Justice official acquitted of illegally accessing detainee data

A former section chief at Taiwan's Ministry of Justice has been acquitted of charges related to illegally accessing a detainee's personal information. The New Taipei District Court ruled that Luo Ji-wang, who had retired before the alleged offense, did not obtain the information through his official capacity and lacked the necessary intent for illegal gain or to harm others.

Prosecutors had accused Luo of using his influence to instruct an unaware colleague to search for the detention status of a Mr. Li in February 2021. This request reportedly came from a man named Xiao, who was trying to collect a debt from Li and wanted to confirm if Li was incarcerated. Luo allegedly relayed the information, "There is -- restricted appearance -- banking law," back to Xiao via LINE.

However, the court determined that Luo was no longer a public servant at the time and did not possess the information in his official capacity. Furthermore, the court found no evidence that Luo received any financial benefits or acted with the intent to cause harm to the individual. The court also noted that Luo did not know Xiao or the purpose of his inquiry, making it difficult to establish intent to harm the detainee's property, reputation, freedom, or life.