Lee sues Lo once again

People First Party Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) yesterday lodged a defamation suit against Lo Fu-chu (羅福助), marking a new chapter in the story that has unfolded since their violent confrontation in the legislature on March 28.

The legal action adds to the bodily injury suit she has already filed against Lo, an independent legislator, and comes in response to public allegations made by him that she was involved in the Jin-Wen Institute of Technology (景文技術學院) scandal.

Lo detailed his allegation in a half-page advertisement that he took out in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday.

"How could Legislator Diane Lee say that her concern for the Jin-Wen case doesn't involve any self-interest?" Lo asked in the advertisement.

"Legislator Lo Fu-Chu should take full responsibility for the malicious accusation made in this advertisement. The content of the advertisement, which is ridiculous and far-fetched, was fabricated exclusively to incriminate me," Lee said.

Lee said Lo started a smear campaign against her after he assaulted her on March 28, in what she says is an attempt to "rationalize" his violent conduct and influence the legislature's disciplinary action against him.

Another purpose of Lo's attempt at defamation is to distract public attention from Lo's own involvement in the Jin-Wen scandal, Lee added.

Some legislators, including some who have gangster backgrounds or connections, reportedly have attempted to influence the Ministry of Education's effort to shake up the board of the private institute.

The attempt to implement reform began last August, when former institute chairman Chang Wan-li (張萬利) was found to have embezzled a large sum of money from the school and then fled abroad. This is only one episode within a much larger financial scandal involving the Jin-Wen Group led by Chang, which is currently still under investigation by prosecutors.

The ministry finally gave up on the board in March, after deciding that board members had failed to institute the necessary changes at the school. The process of replacing the board is now under way.

Lee questioned Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) on issues relating to the reshuffle during a meeting of the Education and Culture Committee on March 26, and Tzeng confirmed that Lo and two other legislators had approached him to talk about matters related to Jin-Wen "out of concern for the school's development."

Lo, known for his close connection with the Tien Tau Meng (天道盟) gang, thought Lee had insinuated that he was one of the gangsters who had tried to influence the investigation into the school and then assaulted her after a fierce quarrel broke out between them on March 28.

Lo has refused to apologize to Lee and insists that Lee played a part in the Jin-Wen case.

Lo has accused Lee of having brought Chen Hsi-nan (陳錫南), a former Jin-Wen board member whom Lo says colluded with Chang, to see Tzeng. Chen was engaged in a struggle with another board member, Wu Ching-tang (吳慶堂), to gain control over the board, until the board's disbandment last month.

In his advertisement yesterday, Lo supported his accusation by specifying Chang's relationship with Lee's father -- former premier Lee Huan (李煥).

Lo said former legislator Lai Wan-chung (賴晚鐘), an in-law of Chang, and Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), former secretary-general to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who is allegedly connected with the Jin-Wen scandal, are both former staff of Lee Huan.