Saying he was innocent of charges brought against him by Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday made his first appearance in court as a defendant since leaving office.
Ker accused Ma of contravening the Criminal Code, the Communication Security and Surveillance Act (通訊監察保護法) and the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in connection with a wiretapping case in 2013.
Ker alleges that Ma leaked secret information to then-premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and then- Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), solicited former prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) to disclose the details of an ongoing investigation and damaged Ker’s reputation by implicating Ker in an alleged case of influence-peddling in the judiciary.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
At the center of the case are claims that Huang leaked confidential information to Ma regarding an ongoing investigation into allegedly improper lobbying involving Ker and then-legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The allegations were tied to an effort to oust Wang from the KMT and thereby the speakership in what became known as the “September Strife.”
During the hearing at the Taipei District Court, Ma stressed his innocence and said that Ker filed the charges to distract public attention from his attempt to persuade prosecutors not to appeal a court ruling that found Ker not guilty of an embezzlement charge.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
“I did not commit any crime, and I want to emphasize again that no one should solicit others to influence the judiciary over an ongoing case, which damages judicial integrity and pollutes the purity of the judiciary,” Ma said.
“Whatever should not be done should not be done. It [seeking to influence the judiciary] still should not be done even if [Ker] filed the charges against me to divert the public’s attention,” he said.
Ma’s lawyers denied that Ma incited Huang to leak information, saying Huang’s criminal actions had nothing to do with Ma.
They cited a report and a news release issued by prosecutors, which said that the alleged influence-peddling did cause the prosecutor in charge of Ker’s embezzlement case to forfeit the appeal, which they said proved that Ma’s statements about Ker did not constitute libel.
“I am confident in my innocence and I expect the court to be fair,” Ma said as he left the court following the two-hour hearing.
Ker called on Ma to admit to his mistakes as a better legal strategy.
“I urge Ma to show moral character and admit his mistakes, which is a lifeline for him and a lifeline for Taiwan’s constitutional mechanism,” the DPP lawmaker said.
Ma and Huang acted against the Constitution and the law, and the trial would be of historic importance to the nation’s constitutional system, he said.
“In a democratic country, a president [engaging in wiretapping and judicial intervention] should have already stepped down. How does he have the face to debate the case in court?” Ker said before the hearing.
“I believe if Ma voluntarily placed himself on a travel ban, history would applaud him,” Ker said.
During the hearing, Ker’s lawyers asked the court to prohibit Ma from leaving the nation, but the judge said the request would have to be handled later.
The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10.
The Taiwan High Court last year sentenced Huang to one year and three months for several criminal offenses, including leaking classified information, although the sentence could be commuted to fines.
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
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