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
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source