The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) must pay President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) NT$600,000 (US$17,918) in compensation and apologize to Ma for alleging in January last year that Ma had accepted NT$100 million in an off-the-book political donation from a major company in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.
The lawmaker was also ordered to publish his apology in major newspapers.
Tuan said that he would appeal the ruling.
Hung Wen-jun (洪文浚), an attorney for Ma, filed civil lawsuits with the Taipei District Court on Jan. 29 last year against Tuan and political commentator Chen Ming-fen (陳敏鳳) over accusations that they made about Ma accepting off-the-books donations in 2007, asking for NT$10 million in compensation from each one and for them to have official apologies printed in four major newspapers.
Tuan has said that Ma illicitly accepted NT$100 million from a listed company and that the money had helped the company in its acquisition of a historically significant state-owned corporation.
Chen on Jan. 15 said the heads of at least 12 magnates telecommunications and electronics companies collectively offered Ma NT$200 million, money that Chen said Ma handed over to a close aide.
He named Taiwan Memory Co chairman John Hsuan (宣明智), Siliconware Precision Industry co-chairman Bough Lin (林文伯), then-First International Telecom Corp president Charlie Wu (吳清源) and James Chew (邱羅火), a manageing partner of the Taiwan Fortune of Fortune Venture Investment Group, as some of the businesspeople involved.
Chen said that Ma had received NT$80 million from Hsuan, and sums of NT$50 million and NT$70 million from the others via a 2007 fundraising.
Yesterday’s ruling only covered the lawsuit against Tuan. Closing arguements in that case were heard last month.
The lawsuit against Chen is still underway.
Additional reporting by CNA and staff writer
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