A Taipei court sided with free speech over reputation, ruling that a city councilor's claim about a lawmaker moving political donations into his own foundation was fair comment — a loss for the lawmaker who sued.

• KMT legislator Lo Chih-chiang sued Taipei city councilor Chien Shu-pei for NT$1 million over remarks she made on a political talk show.
• She alleged that after he failed to win the party's nomination for Taoyuan mayor in 2022, NT$10 million in political donations was routed into a foundation he founded.
• She argued the use of a candidate's donations is a public matter the whole country can scrutinize, and said she checked the facts before speaking.
• The court weighed his reputation against her free speech and found that, as someone who chose public life, he must accept comment on matters of major public interest.

Outlook: Lo lost and Chien owes nothing, but the ruling can still be appealed.