Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman and Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma is on trial for allegedly misusing a special allowance fund during his eight-year tenure as mayor.
When the judges asked Ma how he would like to plead, Ma said: "I am not guilty of these charges, and I hope the court will soon clear my name."
PHOTO: AP AND CNA
Ma and his lawyers yesterday argued that special allowances received by government officials should be treated as a "substantial subsidy" -- essentially as income -- and not as public funds.
"Prosecutors did not investigate matters in my favor, and also ignored evidence that supports my case," Ma told the presiding judges of the Taipei District Court.
"I have been very proud of having a reputation for incorruptibility, but my reputation has been damaged by this flawed indictment. I absolutely cannot accept this," Ma added.
Still, Ma admitted that he had been taking special allowance funds since becoming a government official in 1988, saying he had regarded the funds as part of his government income.
He said that hundreds of government officials shared the same opinion about the funds, and they had also treated their special allowances as personal income.
Ma said he had never known that the special allowances were public funds, adding that he had not intended to embezzle public money.
Ma's lawyer, Hsueh Sung-yu (
Hsueh said the Ministry of Justice also issued a statement last November that prosecutors should take a lenient approach toward their investigations into the abuse of the special allowance funds.
The ministry said the special allowance fund should be seen as a "substantial subsidy" to officials, he added.
Ma is accused of embezzling NT$11 million [US$333,000] and was indicted on Feb. 13 on corruption charges.
Prosecutors found that between December 1998 and last July, Ma wired half of his monthly special allowance -- NT$170,000 -- directly to a personal account. They also found that Ma had NT$11,176,227 in bank accounts belonging to him and his wife.
Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chang Wen-cheng (張文政) said that while Ma's salary was about NT$150,000, the mayor had deposited NT$200,000 into an account under the name of his wife, Chou Mei-chin (周美青), each month. This, Chang said, led prosecutors to suspect that he had been embezzling public funds.
Ma included the money in his annual declaration of assets.
Meanwhile, the trial has already begun to spawn protests, counter-protests and violent scuffles.
Early yesterday, some Democratic Progressive Party legislators went to the Taipei District Court to watch the proceedings. But police prevented the lawmakers from entering the courtroom because seating was limited and required an application in advance.
The lawmakers joined protesters outside, declaring they were dissatisfied with the court's limited public seating. They then took part in a vocal exchange with Ma supporters, which turned violent.
The police were called in to break up the fray and disperse the crowd. No serious injuries were reported.
also see story:
Ma's army collects primary form
Pan-blues push amendment to clear Ma
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2