Ministry of Education Loses Second Appeal in Lawsuit Over Mandarin Daily News Ownership

According to CNA reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, the Ministry of Education (MOE) lost its second appeal in a lawsuit seeking to confirm its legal status as the donor of the Mandarin Daily News. The High Court ruled against the MOE, upholding the lower court's decision. The MOE had argued that the Mandarin Daily News was established with government funding to promote national language policies. However, the High Court found that based on registration records from 1960, the donors were the shareholders of the Mandarin Daily News company, including Fang Shih-to and 16 others. The court stated that the MOE failed to prove that all assets were provided by the government, noting that the company's assets included accumulated profits and social contributions over years of operation. The court concluded that the MOE could not be considered the donor. A separate administrative lawsuit regarding the status of the organization has already been finalized in favor of the Mandarin Daily News.