The Taipei District Court yesterday cleared two former New Party lawmakers of defamation charges, saying comments by the pair that former first lady Tseng Wen-hui (
The court ruled that Elmer Feng (
Shortly after the 2000 presidential election, Feng and Hsieh said Tseng had attempted to flee to New York with US$85 million in cash stuffed into 54 suitcases, but was turned back by customs officials. Their comments were broadcast on TV.
But the judge in yesterday's ruling said the remarks didn't constitute a "malicious accusation."
The ruling said the lawmakers were casting "suspicion" on Tseng -- a right protected by legislative immunity under the Constitution, he said -- but the remarks were not a "malicious accusation."
The judge said Hsieh and Feng as lawmakers had the right to call into question anything they felt was a danger to national security or damaging to the country -- regardless of whether they possessed any evidence to support their claims.
As for Tai, the judge said there wasn't enough evidence to suggest he made the claim that Tseng fled to the US after the presidential contest. Unlike Hsieh and Feng, Tai's alleged remarks weren't reported by the media.
In throwing out the slander charges, the judge also dropped Tseng's NT$300 million claim for damages.
The judge also threw out the trio's counterclaims that Tseng had defamed them by filing the slander charges. In a ruling that appears to turn logic on its head, the judge said the counterclaims had to be dropped because there was no slander in the case.
Tseng has 10 days to appeal the ruling to the Taiwan High Court. The defendants can also appeal to have their counterclaims reconsidered.
The ruling shocked the Tseng camp, who thought they had a convincing case against Feng, Hsieh and Tai.
Tseng had testified that she was at home watching TV on March 19, 2000 -- not flying to New York. On March 21, Tseng and her family visited her son's grave on the 20th anniversary of his death.
On March 23 Tseng made her first public post-election appearance, when she was seen playing golf to counter the accusations she had left the country.
"Tseng said that she was pretty surprised when she heard the news," said Liu Tsung-hsin (劉宗欣), Tseng's lawyer.
"Since they were never able to provide any evidence to back themselves up ... how could they be not guilty of slander?"
Liu said an appeal was in the works.
TSU lawmakers also took issue with the ruling, in particular the comments from the judge that the participants in the dispute should set aside their differences for the sake of "ethnic harmony."
According to a statement released by the Taipei District Court, the judge said the "plaintiff should take into consideration national security and ethnic harmony" in deciding whether to file an appeal.
The lawmakers said only the merits of the case should be considered. "Judges should reach a verdict based solely on the law and the evidence. It's preposterous to reach a verdict with the an aim of preserving ethnic harmony," the lawmakers said.
TSU lawmaker Lo Chih-ming (
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary