The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the High Court’s ruling that acquitted former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) of fraud over a dual--nationality controversy. The ruling is final.
In September 2009, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Lee on charges of fraud, accusing her of intentionally concealing her US citizenship during her term as a Taipei City councilor and three terms as a legislator.
In the first trial, the Taipei District Court sentenced Lee to two years in prison. In the second trial, the Taiwan High Court acquitted her on Aug. 23.
It was the High Court’s view that while the approval of Lee’s eligibility for the post had been an administrative error, her tenure as city councilor and legislator was not interrupted and payment she received was not fraudulent.
The Supreme Court said the prosecution’s charge of fraud and forgery were items that were given closure in the second trial, and under the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) such a case may not be appealed for a third trial.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said the ruling was -unjust, saying Lee deceived the public for years and had violated the law.
“The Taiwanese people had placed their hopes in the Supreme Court’s ruling to give justice to the people, but we see the judiciary system of modern Taiwan does not serve justice anymore,” Chen said.
“If what is obviously illegal can result in a ruling of ‘not guilty,’ what kind of credibility does the judiciary system of Taiwan have?” DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said. “It goes to show that the courts are all owned by the KMT.”
Officials from the Legislative Yuan said they would respect the ruling, adding that as the Legislative Yuan never made the decision to retrieve the salary paid to Lee, there was no problem with the money she received.
Additional reporting by Chiu Yan-ling
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS