Lawmaker Ma Wen-chun Loses Defamation Suit Over Submarine Budget Comments

Taiwanese legislator Ma Wen-chun has lost a defamation lawsuit against writer Yan Ze-ya, who had alleged that Ma supported cutting the submarine budget.

Ma had sued Yan for NT$2.5 million (approximately $78,000 USD), demanding the removal of social media posts and the publication of a court victory notice. Ma claimed Yan's statements, which suggested Ma advocated for "deleting the entire submarine budget" and "allocating funds only when war is imminent," constituted malicious defamation and misrepresentation, inciting public opinion against her.

However, the Taipei District Court ruled in favor of Yan, dismissing all of Ma's claims. The court found that Yan's commentary was a matter of public interest and that she had conducted reasonable investigations. While acknowledging potential minor discrepancies in Yan's wording compared to Ma's original statements, the court determined that the core facts were not misrepresented.

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Thank you to Ma Wen-chun for the honor, giving me this opportunity.

Yan Ze-ya, commenting on the verdict, sarcastically thanked Ma for the "honor" of being sued, noting that her posts aimed to draw public attention to important issues. She pointed out that other legal cases involving "submarine issues" had seen different outcomes for other individuals, distinguishing them from her own case which was still under deliberation.

The court's decision underscored the principle that public figures and public issues are subject to scrutiny and that freedom of speech should be protected. It concluded that Yan's intent was to foster public discussion on governmental affairs, not to maliciously damage Ma's reputation. The ruling allows Yan to retain her original social media posts without penalty, though the decision can still be appealed.

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Ma Wen-chun's Facebook has one incident she deliberately avoids writing about, which is that she recently had a 'submarine case' that was ruled on, meaning she sued me for damaging her reputation, seeking 2.5 million NT dollars, and the Taipei District Court ruled on August 12, and she lost.