Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
Describing the verdict as the "voice of justice," Ma said an hour after learning the ruling that he had always believed he would be found innocent, adding that the ruling should resolve all disputes over the use of the special allowance fund by defining it as a subsidy.
"This waste of time and resources should be put to an end now ... The prosecutors should make a wise decision on whether they're going to look into other officials' allowance funds," Ma told a press conference yesterday at the office of Lee and Li Attorneys-at-Law.
PHOTO: SAM YEH, AFP
When asked whether he meant the prosecutors should not investigate the use of such funds by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) bigwigs such as Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Ma said the prosecutors should stop wasting time on any special allowance cases.
"This applies to everyone, whether he or she is a politician or a government official," he said.
In an effort to clear Ma's name, the KMT filed lawsuits against Lu, Su, Hsieh and other current and former government officials who had received special allowance funds.
As it took prosecutors and the district court 10 months to probe and try his case, Ma said it would take 1,000 prosecutors more than 10 years to look into all 6,500 government officials' special allowance funds.
Ma also accused "a particular prosecutor" of treating him "unfairly" during the trial and said that prosecutors distorted testimony.
"I can image there must be others whose human rights have been violated and the lack of respect for these defendants' human rights should be examined thoroughly," he said.
"During the past six months, I've endured all kinds of insults and have been disgraced while I fought for my innocence ... I will continue my fight with others who believe in the principles of integrity and justice," he said.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
"Ma is the politician with the most integrity -- yet he was indicted on corruption charges. The party is gratified that the court has cleared his name," Wu said at KMT headquarters.
Also see story:
Editorial: Ma verdict raises more questions
Also see story:
Not-guilty verdict boosts shares, but not for very long
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS