Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
Lin and Chen, both of from Ilan County, had run a fierce campaign against each other in the 1995 legislative election. Lin and his campaign assistant Lin Ming-chang (
Lin demanded to know how Chen had acquired such a fortune when he became a lawmaker after having been Ilan County Commissioner. However, Chen claimed Lin had misled the voters by using false figures and then took the dispute to court.
Chen claimed he owned a plot of land and a spacious house in Tienmu, Taipei city, before he started his political career. He claimed he sold the property in 1991 and acquired the money in question.
The defendants were both found guilty by the district and High Court of intentional defamation to prejudice the outcome of an election as stipulated by the Election and Recall Law
Nevertheless, the Supreme Court returned the case to be sent to the High Court in January this year on the grounds that errors had been committed in the previous judgements.
The lawsuit began in 1995 and Chen has always managed to answer court summonses during the lengthy trial, including his attendance yesterday.
"I am just like any other citizen and I don't think I have any privilege that allows me not to answer a court summons," the minister said. The defendants reached a settlement with Chen in October last year, offering NT$500,000 to publish an apology in leading newspapers and magazines. However, following the settlement they still filed an appeal.
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Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique