Taiwan opposition leader Ma cleared of corruption charges - attorney |
|
|
|
Published
:
Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:35
|
TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - The Taipei District Court has cleared Ma Ying-jeou, who is representing opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in the 2008 presidential race, of corruption charges, Ma's attorney Sung Yao-ming said.'He (Ma) is innocent,' the attorney said. 'That is the essence of the matter.'A former justice minister charged with tackling corruption among other duties, Ma was indicted in February for allegedly misusing more than 11 mln twd in expense accounts during his tenure as Taipei mayor from 1998 to 2006.He resigned as KMT chairman after the indictment but immediately announced his bid for the 2008 presidential election.Ma has denied the graft charges, insisting he acted in the same way as some 6,500 other government officials entitled to such special expenses.Even before today's verdict, Ma had made clear his determination to run for the presidency even if he was to be found guilty by the court. A guilty verdict could have entailed a minimum of seven years in prison.It remains to be seen if prosecutors will appeal the ruling.philip.wang@afxasia.com-xfnpw/xfnrcCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
Taipei shares turn lower after mild opening gains; Ma verdict awaited 