The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislative caucus yesterday cast doubts on the "impartiality" of the judicial system following a court ruling against former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
The caucus requested the judicial system apply the "same standards" to litigation against People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
"It is disappointing to see such a political ruling, which has seriously sabotaged the integrity of the judicial system," said TSU Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
On Wednesday the Taipei District Court ruled that Lee must pay Soong NT$10 million (US$297,365) for saying that Soong had abandoned pan-blue supporters after an April 10 protest against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and returned home to play mahjong.
The court also said Lee must publish half-page notices of apology in nine Chinese-language newspapers for three days in a row.
PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (
Chang also called on Lee to mind his words and actions and doublecheck facts before making any accusations.
TSU caucus whip David Huang (黃適卓) yesterday argued that Lee did not specify the target of his criticism and the crux of the criticism does not lie in whether the person was sleeping or playing mahjong during the post-presidential election disturbances, but in whether the person left the crowd there and let them engage in violent clashes.
"It is clear that both Lien and Soong were nowhere to be found after they led supporters to demonstrate in front of the Presidential Office," Huang said. "The narration of this mere fact should lie in the realm of freedom of speech, and we support the former president's appeal 100 percent."
TSU Legislator Cheng Chen-lung (
Another TSU member, Chien Lin Whei-jun (
"While Soong was acquitted in the Chung Hsing Bills Finance scandal and no ruling has been handed down in the first lady's slander lawsuit against Lien, it took little time for the court to rule on a case of an insinuating remark by the former president," she said.
Soong is alleged to have embezzled millions of US dollars from the KMT. The Taipei Prosecutor's Office and Ministry of Finance discovered that he sent more than NT$200 million to relatives' accounts, and this money is thought to be surplus campaign funds, as well as cash skimmed from the KMT.
First lady Wu Shu-jen (
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