Court ruling keeps Ma in election race

Judges should maintain their neutrality and refrain from participating in political movements, Shen said.

DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said there was a huge discrepancy between the High Court verdict and some people's expectations.

"It was obvious that Ma committed fraud because he kept changing his story on how he used the money," he said, adding that even if Ma had been found guilty, "I would have pardoned him if I won."

Frank　Hsieh's running mate, former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), also said he found the verdict hard to accept.

Su said it was common knowledge that Ma had used his mayoral special allowance illegally.

"Many people find the outcome very bizarre, because everyone knows Ma is guilty. His secretary became the scapegoat," Su said.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday at the legislature that Ma's acquittal and the special allowance cases highlighted discrepancies in the legal system.

"Maybe judges should stop hearing these cases and let the legislature begin on the work of fixing the problems with the system," Wang said.

He said that the Taiwan High Court's verdict in Ma's case created a precedent for other judges hearing similar cases.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG, STAFF WRITER, WITH AGENCIES