Former New Party legislator Elmer Fung (
"The DNA collected from sperm taken from the housekeeper's vagina and underwear matched that of Fung," the presiding judge said yesterday at the Shilin District Court as he delivered the sentence.
"While there was no witness to the crime, the evidence shows that Fung sexually assaulted [the woman]," the judge said.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
A defiant Fung continued to proclaim his innocence yesterday, telling reporters he never raped his former housekeeper, and suggested that the verdict was politically motivated.
"I have been persecuted by the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and the court because I have criticized the government," he said.
"I will appeal the ruling to the Taiwan High Court to prove my innocence," he said.
Fung was accused in February last year of raping his Filipina housekeeper, identified only as Rose, in November 2003.
Fung said Rose had made up the allegations because she was seeking revenge against his wife, who had complained about her work and had reprimanded her.
He suggested that Rose had framed him by taking semen from a condom he had used with his wife.
After the scandal erupted, Fung paid Rose NT$800,000 (US$24,150) and sent her back to the Philippines. Rose's supporters said the cash Fung had given to her was hush money.
Fung admitted to giving Rose NT$800,000, but insisted that the money was part of the woman's annual salary plus layoff pay.
Fung's daughter, Fung Fu-hwa (
"The judge took only the evidence presented by the maid and ignored all the evidence we presented," she said.
Fung's previous legal woes were factored into the sentence, as the judge noted that the former lawmaker had been found guilty for libel against Tseng Wen-hui (
Because Fung had committed another criminal act within five years of his first conviction, according to the Criminal Code, the court was obliged to deliver a heavier sentence.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS