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TAIPEI - TAIWAN President Ma Ying-jeou has lost a libel suit against his formal rival in the March presidential race, a court official said on Tuesday.
Ma sued former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Frank Hsieh for allegedly defaming him during presidential campaigning by accusing him of using fake receipts to reimburse official expenses.
'The court found Hsieh not guilty as his remarks were based on prosecutors' indictment... and the matter can be subject to public scrutiny,' said Liu Shou-sung, a spokesman for the Taipei district court.
It was not immediately clear if Mr Ma will appeal the ruling.
Mr Ma, of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party, won a landslide victory in the March 22 presidential vote.
Taiwan's Supreme Court in April cleared Ma of corruption charges, delivering the final ruling in a high-profile case less than a month before he took office.
Mr Ma had been accused of misusing more than 11 million Taiwan dollars (S$465 million) in expense accounts while he was Taipei mayor between 1998 and 2006, charges he strenuously denied.
Mr Ma has always insisted he acted just like other government officials entitled to special expenses, describing the case as an 'ugly tactic' by the DPP to crush his presidential bid. -- AFP
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