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Ma's wife threatens suit against accusers

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou, right, shakes hands with two people dressed up as the god of wealth with the faces of Ma and KMT vice presidential candidate Vincent Siew at the Longshan Temple in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES

The wife of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said late on Monday night she would not rule out taking legal action against those who accuse her of illegally trading in Mega Financial Holdings stock.

Chow Mei-ching (周美青) has worked at Mega International Commercial Bank, formerly known as the International Commercial Bank of China, for 26 years.

Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) camp has raised suspicions about Chow's shareholding, saying she might have engaged in insider trading.

Chow issued a statement saying none of her shares in Mega Financial Holdings had been bought on the open market, but came from employee and shareholder's bonus shares and stock options.

Chou said for the past 26 years, she had only sold her shares in the firm in September 1998, from July to September of 2004 and in September 2005 in 16 separate transactions. Since September 2005, there have been no changes in her Mega shareholdings, the statement said.

Chow said she had acquired all her shares in a legitimate manner and any doubts about Mega's policy on bonus shares for employees and shareholders and stock options should be directed to the company.

Those who have questions about the legality of her stockholding should present proof to the authorities, the statement said, adding that Chow would no longer respond to questions regarding her holdings in Mega and would file suit against any false accusations pertaining to her stockholding or attacks against her person.

Asked by reporters for comment yesterday, Ma said he respected his wife's decision.

Meanwhile, Hsieh said at a separate setting yesterday that Chow did not specify whom she proposes to sue.

He said Ma's problem was that "he does not tell the truth" and that dishonesty was the main source of Ma's problems today.

Hsieh repeated his accusation that Ma had accepted NT$500,000 from Taipei City's Association of Architects in 1998 and showed what he said were copies of a check and receipt for the deal.

Hsieh urged Ma to explain whether he had taken a bribe from the association in exchange for revising a renovation code in their favor. In 2001, the city government amended the code to empower architects to approve building fire security measures.
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