Constitutional Court to rule on government oversight laws on Oct. 25

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) The Constitutional Court will render a ruling next week that determines the fate of amendments to government oversight laws passed by the Legislature that resulted in brawls on the floor of the lawmaking body and protests on the streets.

In a press release issued Friday, the Judicial Yuan, which oversees the Constitutional Court, said the ruling would be announced at 3 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the Judicial Office building.

The court, which is comprised of 15 justices, will decide whether the amendments and the deliberation that preceded them being passed on May 28 are constitutional or not based on a majority vote.

The court has already issued an injunction that halted enforcement of many of the law revisions, including those that give lawmakers much broader investigative powers.

The case was brought by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the Executive Yuan and the Control Yuan at the end of June in a bid to reject the revisions.

The DPP-led petitioners maintain that the amendments risked allowing the Legislature to usurp the powers of other government branches and infringing on people's right to privacy and trade secrets.

In contrast, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) argue that the amendments are necessary "reforms," particularly in light of multiple allegations of corruption and wrongdoing surrounding several major DPP government policies and investment projects.

The amendments to the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan's Power and the Criminal Code were passed by KMT and TPP lawmakers, who together have a majority of seats in the Legislature.