The Constitution of the Republic of China provides in Article 40 that: “The President shall, in accordance with law, exercise the power of granting general pardons, pardons, commutation of sentences and restoration of civil rights.” Article 3 of the Amnesty Act states that: “After a pardon is granted to a person subject to a pronouncement of offense and punishment, the execution of the punishment is waived; under special circumstances the pronouncement of offense and punishment may be deemed a nullity.” In order to maintain the stability of legal order and the existing result of the execution [of a sentence] according to the law, the pardon granted by the President in accordance with the aforesaid Article 40 of the Constitution and the latter part of Article 3 of the Amnesty Act declaring the nullity of the pronounced offense and punishment shall not have retroactive effect. However, since the pronounced offense and punishment become invalid from the effective date of the pardon order, the person pronounced to be deprived of civil rights shall recover his civil rights from that effective date. With respect to public office lost due to a final conviction, the convicted person may apply to the competent authority requesting the disposition of this matter according to this Interpretative ruling and relevant laws, provided that the lost public office can be prospectively reinstated.