TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Media personality Wu Tzu-chia (吳子嘉) was fined NT$3 million (US$92,000) Friday (July 12) for alleging former Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) pocketed US$100 million from a BioNTech vaccine contract during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chen sued Wu, demanding NT$10 million in compensation, per the Liberty Times. The Taipei District Court awarded Chen, who now serves as minister without portfolio, NT$3 million, though appeals are still possible.

Wu, the chair of the online news site My Formosa, alleged during a live broadcast in May 2023 that the Ministry of Health and Welfare had paid too much for the vaccines, indicating that some officials, including Chen, made illegal profits.

While the court emphasized the importance of freedom of speech, it also said that Wu should have produced evidence or at least checked his facts before making the allegations. The questioning showed that the accusations did not correspond to the truth, the judge said.

In his reaction to the verdict, Chen said he would donate the compensation payment to charity, per CNA. He added that despite the ruling in his favor, there had been no winners in the case.