Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) accused a judge of being former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) defense attorney as the second trial over alleged breach of confidence by Ma began yesterday.
Ker said that the judge in the first trial should not have ruled in Ma’s favor in the case, which stems from Ker’s accusation that Ma breached judicial independence by instructing then-prosecutor general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) to provide information regarding an ongoing investigation.
The investigation, conducted by the now-defunct Special Investigation Division, was probing allegations that Ker and then-legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) were involved in improper use of influence.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Ma is accused of soliciting Huang to break confidentiality when the former president invited him to the presidential residence on Sept. 1, 2013, to report on the investigation, Ker’s lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said.
Ker said the judge’s explanation of the March 28 verdict was untenable.
Ker said Ma’s guilt was evident, but he was acquitted because there was no audio recording of him giving the order.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The verdict of the second trial will be final.
Ma is also accused of a second count of soliciting a breach in confidentiality by asking Huang Shih-ming on Sept. 4, 2013, to brief Jiang on the investigation, Huang Di-ying said.
The two cases have been divided into separate suits, with the Sept. 1, 2013, incident sparking a lawsuit by Ker, while the Sept. 4, 2013, incident prompted a public prosecution by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
The Taiwan High Court sentenced Huang Shih-ming to one year and three months in prison in February 2015 for breach of confidentiality, which was commuted into a fine of NT$457,000.
Ma was summoned to stand trial this year, as he had immunity against prosecution during his time as president.
Food delivery provider Foodpanda had 564 consumer disputes from January to last month and failed to attend many mediation sessions with local governments nationwide, the Executive Yuan’s Consumer Protection Committee said. In a news release earlier this month, the committee said that it investigated consumer complaints and mediations for Foodpanda and rival Uber Eats during the period, when the number of delivery orders jumped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uber Eats had 80 consumer disputes, the committee said. Of Foodpanda’s consumer disputes, 368 resulted from delivery drivers canceling orders after customers could not be reached, 108 were related to the quality or quantity
‘HONEYMOON’ IS OVER: A political science professor said that the Tsai administration’s popularity peaked after it successfully contained COVID-19, but is waning President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) approval ratings fell significantly this month in the wake of the government’s handling of the distribution of relief funds and stimulus coupons to people and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, a poll released yesterday by the New Power Party (NPP) showed. The poll showed that 68 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with Tsai’s performance, down 8.9 percentage points from last month, while 21 percent said they disapproved of her performance. Her approval among respondents aged 20 to 29 fell 14.7 percentage points, the largest decrease when compared with other age
‘CHINESE CAPITAL’: Fanny Liu was found guilty of reducing the rent of a tenant in exchange for a vote for a KMT Taipei city councilor candidate The Taipei District Court on Wednesday sentenced Fanny Liu (劉樂妍), a former member of the now-disbanded female pop group Fantasy 4, to 10 years in prison for vote-buying. The court found Liu — who is now based in China and has made pro-Chinese Communist Party remarks — guilty of reducing the rent on a Taipei property she owned in exchange for the tenant voting for a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate in the November 2018 nine-in-one local elections. She can appeal the ruling. Liu in December 2018 reportedly lowered the rent by NT$1,000 after the tenant said they had voted for Taipei City
Passengers arriving at Taoyuan International Airport will find that most entrances to both terminals have been sealed off as part of its COVID-19 prevention efforts. Follow the signs and directions posted on the doors to find the nearest entry point. The airport has installed infrared cameras and thermometer guns at all open entrances, and all persons with a temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius are prohibited from entering the terminal. In addition, staff will take the temperature of those checking in to their flights in advance at Airport MRT stations A1 and A3. In accordance with the Centers of Disease
RSS