After months of hearings and deliberations on one of two pan-blue camp lawsuits, the re-election of President Chen Shui-bian (
"The judges arrived at this decision because the results of the investigation and hearings [with the lawyers] did not prove the allegations leveled by the plaintiffs," Taiwan High Court spokesman Wen Yau-yuan (溫耀源) said.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Presiding Judge Wu Ching-yuan (
Wen said the verdict had rejected the plaintiff's three claims. He said the pan-blue camp had failed to provide adequate evidence for any of the arguments presented to the court.
The first claim was that the ballots had been miscounted, prompting an exhaustive recount of all ballots. Those ballots disputed by lawyers from both camps were then transferred to the judges for appraisal.
Based on this recount, the court announced yesterday that Chen and Lu won the election by 25,563 votes. The original margin was reported as 29,518.
The second claim was that the pan-green camp had attempted to influence or manipulate the result of the presidential election by staging an assassination attempt on March 19, the eve of the election.
Pan-blue lawyers contended that Chen and Lu had staged the assassination attempt, then launched a so-called "national security mechanism" so that the Chen-Lu ticket and the referendum held in tandem with the election would attract more support out of sympathy for the candidates.
Wen said that forensic analysis by Henry Lee, an overseas consultant requested by the pan-blue camp but hired by the government, had concluded that it was impossible for Chen and Lu to have staged the incident. Wen said that the court had taken note of Lee's findings.
During previous hearings, military personnel and heads of police departments had also testified that stricter security measures implemented following the incident did not deprive members of the military or the police forces of the ability to vote, as the pan-blue camp had alleged.
The pan-blue camp finally claimed that the pan-green camp had improperly manipulated voters into supporting Chen. Wen said no evidence had been presented to the court proving that the pan-green camp had done this.
The plaintiffs and defendants are allowed to appeal within 20 days of receiving the verdict from the court.
Defense counsel Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said he hoped that the plaintiff would respect the decision by the court.
"This [the lawsuit] was what they wanted. Now here is the result. I hope that they [the pan-blue camp] can face the facts and respect the legal outcome," Koo said.
Pan-blue lawyer Lee Tsung-teh (
Outside the high court, no more than 200 to 250 pan-blue supporters protested. Nearly 400 police officers from the Taipei City Police Department's Chungcheng First Precinct helped the court's security service maintain public order. No injuries or arrests were reported.
However, a number of pan-blue candidates for next month's legislative elections took advantage of yesterday's verdict to seek more voter support.
The judges also ruled that the pan-blue camp would have to pay expenses for the case, estimated to be more than NT$70 million. But the court said that the exact figure had not been calculated.
The verdict of a second lawsuit, including the allegation that Chen used the referendum to unfairly influence the result of the election, and that the election should have been postponed following the assassination attempt, is pending.
Correspondents with newspapers, TV stations and wire agencies from the US, UK, Japan, France and Russia covered the events as they unfolded.
Also See Stories
Pan-blues urged to accept ruling
Blue camp still defiant after High Court ruling
Taiwan should learn from US' democracy
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS