综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

   

Ma to run for 'president' as independent

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-14 07:10

TAIPEI: Taiwan's major opposition Kuomintang leader Ma Ying-jeou declared yesterday that he would run for "president"in the island's 2008 elections after local prosecutors indicted him on charges of corruption.

The front-runner in the "presidential" race also said he would resign from the post of Kuomintang's (KMT) chairman, but the party asked him to reconsider his decision.

Taiwan prosecutors said yesterday Ma diverted NT$11.18 million ($339,000) from Taipei's special government funds to his private account over five years even though he did not use the money when he was Taipei mayor.

The prosecutors did not say what jail term they would seek but suggested the court give Ma a light penalty if he is found guilty.

Ma protested his innocence and vowed to clear his name. "I respect the law, but there is no way I can accept the accusation of embezzling special government funds," he said.

"I solemnly declare I'll turn my anger into motivation," he said, adding that he will run in the 2008 "presidential" election "without reservation".

It was for the first time that he declared his candidacy for the "presidency".

Ma had previously said he would step down as KMT chairman if he were indicted.

A KMT spokesman said Ma's party membership would be suspended in accordance with party by-laws, but he could be reinstated later if cleared in court.

The KMT has said diverting money from municipal funds is common for Taiwanese local leaders, and is approved by government auditors. The party says the leaders use diverted funds for legitimate purposes, including year-end bonuses for government workers.

But a representative of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called on Ma to apologize.

The prosecutor in mid-November began looking into allegations against Ma concerning the misuse of the special fund from 1998 to 2006 during his tenure.

Ma cannot run for the "presidency" as a member of the KMT if he is suspended from the party. Analysts said last week that were this to be the case, he could run as an independent with informal backing from the party.

Days after the probe began, Ma said the mayor's office had done its own review of the funds in question and discovered that some expense reimbursements were done improperly. He apologized but said the incident was not an example of corruption.

Ma left the mayoral post at the end of his term in December.

Born in Hong Kong on July 13, 1950, Ma grew up in Taipei, and studied law in the capital before obtaining degrees in New York and at Harvard University Law School.

Ma rose quickly through KMT ranks. He was the party's youngest deputy secretary-general at age 33; Taiwan's youngest "minister of justice" at 43, and unseated Chen Shui-bian, the island's current "president", as Taipei mayor in 1998.

Agencies - Xinhua

(China Daily 02/14/2007 page1)



Top China News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
阿图什市| 晋宁县| 新津县| 资溪县| 渭南市| 乌兰县| 崇仁县| 安仁县| 宁国市| 中宁县| 会同县| 文登市| 姚安县| 弥勒县| 通山县| 五指山市| 壤塘县| 闵行区| 博客| 新巴尔虎左旗| 娄底市| 新建县| 沾化县| 辽宁省| 渭南市| 台安县| 措勤县| 永寿县| 达拉特旗| 潢川县| 武清区| 岳普湖县| 辽阳县| 高唐县| 永川市| 招远市| 景东| 龙陵县| 乌恰县| 西和县| 郎溪县|