Media personality Clara Chou (周玉蔻) was yesterday found guilty of defaming former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and was sentenced to 50 days in jail by the Taiwan High Court, a ruling Chou said was swayed by political considerations.
It was a reversal of the not guilty verdict from the Taipei District Court in December 2015.
The 50-day prison term can be commuted by paying a fine of NT$50,000 (US$1,631).
Photo: CNA
Yesterday’s ruling was final and it cannot be appealed.
Ma filed the lawsuit against Chou after she made accusations on talk shows and in statements to media outlets in December 2014 that she had evidence that Ma and his campaign team had received a NT$200 million off-the-books political donation from the owners of Ting Hsin International Group (頂新集團).
At the time, Ting Hsin was embroiled in a series of tainted food scandals after allegations it used adulterated ingredients and fraudulent labeling in its oil products.
Chou said that Ma had become the company’s “guardian protector,” shielding it from prosecution.
During the court hearing, Chou was asked about the basis of her allegations and if she had checked with other sources.
Chou said she had checked the allegations with other media pundits, including Hu Chung-hsin (胡忠信) and Tsai Yu-chen (蔡玉真).
The judges considered these “personal opinions and information of subjective conjectures” and that “Chou had relied too much on her own interpretation,” the ruling said.
Chou said the ruling was swayed by political considerations.
“It is an honor for the case to become a symbol of political interference in the justice system. This is a witch hunt by the judiciary,” Chou said in a statement.
She aimed her invective directly at Presiding Judge Chen Hsiao-pei (陳筱佩) and the other two bench judges handling the case.
“Thank you, Presiding Judge Chen... Your political color is clearly shown. I hope you can bear to face your conscience,” Chou wrote. “As for the other two bench judges, you have opened people’s eyes with your display of cowardliness.”
Chou released another statement saying the decision was contrary to the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 509 and “as such, this ruling is unconstitutional. I will not retreat from this and will file for a constitutional interpretation of the case.”
Chou also hinted that she would not serve the 50-day prison term.
“I have many friends who will fight each other to pay the fine for me,” she said.
Ma’s office released a statement to thank the judges “for clarifying the truth and making the appropriate ruling in this case.”
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS