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Ma's attorney applies for switch in corruption cases

Attorneys for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) filed an application with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office yesterday, asking the three prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against Ma to hand over their cases.

Three prosecutors from the Supreme Prosecutors Office's special investigation panel -- Hou Kuan-jen (侯寬仁), Shen Ming-lun (沈明倫) and Chou Shih-yu (周士榆) -- are probing corruption allegations against Ma and the KMT.

The cases involve the KMT's three-in-one sale of the Broadcasting Corporation of China, China Television Co and the Central Motion Picture Corp to China Times Group subsidiary Jungli Investment Co in 2005 for NT$9.3 billion (US$286.7 million), and the party's sale of the Institute of Policy Research and Development building to Yuan Lih Construction Corp for NT$4.3 billion last year.

Both deals took place while Ma was party chairman.

The trio is also investigating Ma's use of his special allowances during his terms as minister of justice, vice minister of the Mainland Affairs Council and other positions.

Ma's attorney, Song Yao-ming (宋耀明), told reporters yesterday he had filed an application asking the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to transfer the corruption investigations from the three prosecutors to other prosecutors over bias concerns.

Ma, who was acquitted late last month in his "special allowance fund" corruption case, filed a lawsuit last week against the three prosecutors, accusing them of forgery and abuse of power during the special allowance fund probe.

TRANSCRIPT

Song said that during Ma's first trial, the Taipei District Court ruled that the transcript of Hou's questioning of Taipei City treasurer Wu Li-ju (吳麗洳) was "not credible." The court said there were serious discrepancies between an audio recording of the testimony and Hou's transcript.

Song said this was solid evidence that prosecutor Hou was biased.

Song said that when the Taipei District Court and the Taiwan High Court found Ma not guilty of corruption, Hou made remarks criticizing both judges and their decisions.

The attorney said this was also evidence of bias.

Ma was indicted in February on charges of embezzling NT$11 million from his special mayoral allowance during his eight years as Taipei mayor.

Prosecutors have appealed the case to the Supreme Court.

Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南), spokesman for the Special Investigation Panel, said yesterday the Supreme Prosecutors' Office had received the application and would soon convene a meeting to decide what to do.

DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) yesterday told a press conference that Ma, who "never respected the judicial system," should not try to "direct" the prosecutors' investigation.
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