Media personality Clara Chou (周玉蔻) was found not guilty of defamation by the Taipei District Court yesterday in a case involving President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and allegations of illicit political donations by Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團).
The court’s decision was based on interpretation of Article 310 of the Criminal Code, in stating that “although the defendant cannot prove if the expressed statements were true, if according to the evidence and materials presented the defendant has reason to believe in their veracity, then the case cannot be prosecuted as defamation and its related punishment.”
Prosecutors filed the case against Chou after she made accusations on talk shows and in statements to media outlets in December of 2014 saying that she had evidence that Ma had received NT$200 million (US$6.05 million at current exchange rates) in an off-the-books political donation from the owners of Ting Hsin.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Chou’s allegations came amid a public furor over a tainted food scandal involving the group after the company was found to have used adulterated ingredients in its oil products and she insinuated that Ma had become a “guardian protector,” shielding the group from prosecution.
Some political pundits and members of the public hailed yesterday’s court ruling as a victory for Chou and critics of the Ma administration, and as a major blow to Ma and his reputation.
In response, Ma expressed his dissatisfaction with the court’s ruling and issued a statement saying that he had requested his lawyers to appeal the ruling.
“President Ma regrets the court ruling. In recent years, a number of pundits and media figures have made groundless accusations, saying they have inside information. They have tarnished reputations and such abhorrent actions have resulted in a more chaotic society. We should condemn these developments and therefore we have requested that the lawyers appeal, to preserve goodwill and kindness in society,” the statement issued by Presidential Office spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) said.
Chou also accused former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) of receiving benefits from Ting Hsin and said that Senhwa Biosciences chairman Benny Hu (胡定吾), a friend of Ma’s, had acted as a middleman in the NT$200 million donation.
Hu is also a board member of Taipei Financial Center Corp (台北金融大樓公司), the firm that operates Taipei 101.
Chou also alleged that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) made a secret donation of NT$300 million to then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) last year.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS