Pure Kuomintang

Taiwanese presidential candidate acquitted by court

Yesterday, the Taipei City Court dropped charges against Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate in the 2008 elections. Last fall, Ma was accused of embezzling $330,000 when he was mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006. Ma did not admit his guilt, and his supporters said that the money was spent on bonuses for city hall employees.

Former and current Taiwanese officials unanimously told the Vremya Novostei correspondent that the matter smacks of politics. Ma Ying-jeou and his secretariat acted like everyone else - reporting on “special funds” is very complicated, so the mayor’s assistants collected the first checks that came to hand for the accounting department. In principle, VN’s interlocutors admitted, almost all Taiwanese officials who, based on their rank, were allowed to use “special funds” could be accused and imprisoned for such violations.

However, in February, Ma Ying-jeou was officially accused of using his official position to embezzle property. After this, Ma was forced to resign as chairman of the Kuomintang party. But, despite the pressure, he did not refuse to participate in the presidential race. And now, to the delight of Taiwan's opposition, the court has decided that Ma did not intend to take the money illegally or use it for his own gain. True, this is not a final victory yet - the prosecutor's office can appeal the court decision within ten days.

Now 57-year-old Ma Ying-jeou has restored his traditional image as a politician untainted by corruption scandals. Against this background, the reputation of politicians from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) looks worse. The current president, Chen Shui-bian, and his wife were accused in 2006 of embezzling $450,000 from a special fund intended for foreign operations. Chen could be put on trial next year, when he loses presidential immunity. Ma's main rival, the ruling party's presidential candidate Xie Zhanting, cannot shake off accusations of receiving kickbacks during the construction of a subway in the city of Kaohsiung, where he was mayor.

The acquittal of Ma Ying-jeou increased the chances of victory in the presidential elections for the Kuomintang party, which is coming to power under the slogans of expanding cooperation with mainland China. The DPP advocates the independence of Taiwan and considers economic rapprochement with China a threat to the sovereignty of the island, which is not recognized by the international community. The victory of the candidate from the ruling party will mean a further increase in tensions between Beijing and Taipei, which threatens the security of the entire region. Ma Ying-jeou's success can create favorable conditions for dialogue between the island and the mainland.

Alexander LOMANOV