《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Ma Ying-jeou grilled in court by Clara Chou

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Former president Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） appeared in court for a defamation lawsuit for the first time since leaving the Presidential Office on May 20, engaging in a heated feud with media personality and political pundit Clara Chou （周玉蔻） over claims that he received illicit political donations from Ting Hsin International Group （頂新國際集團）.

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Chou in 2014 said that Ting Hsin’s owners, the Wei （魏） brothers, had made a donation of NT$200 million （US$6.31 million at the current exchange rate） to Ma during his second presidential term.

Ma and Chou faced off in the court, as Chou repeatedly directed her queries to Ma and requested that the former president respond.

“Have you ever received money not covered by the Political Donations Act （政治獻金法） throughout your past election campaigns?” she asked.

Ma did not say a word, as his lawyers spoke in court on his behalf, while the presiding judge ruled that Chou had contravened court procedure.

On Dec. 31 last year, the Taipei District Court ruled that Chou was not guilty of defamation in a lawsuit filed by public prosecutors regarding allegations of illegal political donations.

Ma subsequently filed a private case over the allegations, seeking that the court punish Chou for what he called slander and “unsubstantiated claims.”

“Although the court ruled against me in the first hearing, it also showed that I am innocent ... After a six-month probe by the Special Investigation Division, it proved that I did not receive a NT$200 million political donation and that I did not confer financial benefits to Ting Hsin,” Ma told reporters after the hearing.

“The court was clear on this point, and on this basis I would like to see what responsibilities Chou must bear as the accused in this case,” Ma added.

“In today’s hearing, Ma did not present anything to dispel my view that he received a political donation from Ting Hsin,” Chou told reporters.

Asked about Ma not answering her questions, Chou said: “Who would openly acknowledge that they have received [an illicit] political donation?”

“As the nation’s president, Ma should be scrutinized by the media while being in the highest office. However, he did not clarify details of the case, nor did he make changes to clear up ambiguities in the laws governing political donations. Instead, Ma used the judiciary as a tool to threaten a media personality. I cannot accept this,” she said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES