Taiwan ex-leader Ma convicted in political leaks case

TAIPEI: A Taiwanese court Tuesday found former president Ma Ying-jeou guilty in a political leaks case, his first conviction in a raft of lawsuits brought against him since he stepped down two years ago.

Ma was sentenced to four months in prison for violating the communication security and surveillance act, said the high court, overturning a previous not guilty verdict from a lower court. The former president said Tuesday he will appeal the sentence and remains free. Ma was also convicted of breaching the personal data protection act and of “using his presidential power not for executing presidential legal duties”, the court added.

Under Taiwanese law any sentence under six months can be paid off with a fine. The high court found that Ma had attempted to damage the “character and rights” of opposition lawmaker Ker Chien-ming when he leaked confidential information about an ongoing probe associated with Ker.

Investigators had been accused of tapping Ker´s phone to acquire the information.The information that he obtained through his office “should have been kept secret”, a statement from the court said.