Tsai's 'Dissertation Gate' Lawsuit Ends After 7 Years! Supreme Court Rejects Appeal; Peng Wenzheng Vows to Fight 17 More Cases

Media personality Peng Wenzheng has long questioned the authenticity of former President Tsai Ing-wen's doctoral degree and dissertation from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at the University of London. In 2019, Peng filed a civil lawsuit demanding the court confirm that Tsai's 1984 doctoral dissertation 'does not exist.' The case underwent multiple hearings and remands at the Taipei District Court and the High Court, with Peng appealing all the way to the Supreme Court. On October 10, the Supreme Court finally rejected his appeal, upholding the High Court's ruling, officially concluding this nearly seven-year civil litigation. Following yesterday's (10th) report by Storm Media, Peng personally responded under the outlet's social media post: 'There are still 17 more lawsuits. Let's fight them one by one!' Peng has pursued former President Tsai Ing-wen's dissertation issue for seven years. (Photo: Storm Media archive)

Initially, the Taipei District Court ruled that Peng's request sought confirmation of a 'fact' rather than a legal relationship, thus dismissing his claim. The High Court later found procedural flaws in the initial trial and remanded the case for retrial. During the retrial, the District Court reviewed documents from the University of London, LSE, and doctoral degree notifications, concluding that Tsai's process of obtaining her doctorate aligned with the evidence. The court also recognized related dissertation materials as the original draft from 1983.

The court also addressed the long-standing debate over 'library holdings.' It stated that even if LSE or the University of London's central library does not retain Tsai's doctoral dissertation, the absence of a library record alone cannot lead to the conclusion that she never wrote or submitted a dissertation. After comprehensively reviewing institutional documents, degree notifications, and related records, the District Court determined there was sufficient evidence confirming Tsai's eligibility for a doctoral degree from LSE, thus ruling against Peng once again.

Unsatisfied with the outcome, Peng appealed again. The High Court ruled that his request to confirm 'whether the dissertation exists' does not constitute a legal relationship subject to civil declaratory action and lacks confirmatory interest, thus dismissing the appeal. The case then proceeded to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court's decision, finding no errors in the original judgment. On October 10, the Supreme Court formally rejected Peng's appeal, finalizing the case and bringing this long-running 'Dissertation Gate' civil lawsuit to a temporary close.

However, following the Supreme Court's final ruling, Peng clearly has no intention of stopping his investigation. After Storm Media reported the verdict, Peng personally commented under the outlet's Facebook post, asking, 'Where is the library submission record?' and adding, 'There are still 17 more lawsuits. Let's fight them slowly.' This indicates he will continue pursuing related disputes through other legal actions. The specific details, current status, and legal grounds of the 17 lawsuits Peng mentioned will depend on future judicial proceedings and court rulings.