President Ma Ying-jeou is suing media personality Clara Chou for defamation. That’s because Chou has been accusing Ma and the ruling Kuomintang of accepting political donations worth NT$200 million from Ting Hsin International Group. Ting Hsin has been implicated in a major edible oil scandal.
Chou has been saying former top national security officials told her of the donation, but former deputy secretary general of the National Security Council Chang Rong-feng has publicly clarified the misunderstanding. Chang said he never accused the KMT of accepting donations from Ting Hsin. A special investigation unit is investigating the case.
Despite the explanations from top officials, Chou is continuing to speak out against President Ma. The president has thus decided to sue her for defamation. Ma’s lawyer Hong Wen-chun explained.
"After Ms. Chou made her comments, relevant agencies have come out to clarify and even sue her. But Chou continues to speak out on the matter. So because of this, the president has no choice but to take legal action. We are asking for NT$10 million in compensation and also a public apology to the president on the four major newspapers," said Hong.
Hong said Ma would also privately file a criminal case against Chou. That’s because the court procedures and investigation can provide a comprehensive clarification of the case.
The KMT Central Discipline Committee suggests Chou’s party membership be revoked as her recent comments have “damaged the party’s reputation and interests”. The party’s central standing committee will see the case on Wednesday.