Taiwan ex-leader Ma Ying-jeou found not guilty in political leaks case

Taiwan's former president Ma Ying-jeou was found not guilty in a political leaks case on Friday, a major legal victory for a politician facing a slew of lawsuits since leaving office.

Ma was cleared of charges of leaking secrets and instructing a top prosecutor to disclose confidential information about a 2013 judicial probe in a final verdict handed down by the High Court.

"The court ruled that relevant evidence provided by prosecutors failed to prove any crime committed by the defendant," a court spokeswoman told reporters, adding the decision was final.

Ma's Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party held power from 2008 to 2016, before it was trounced by Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

While still in office, Ma was protected by political immunity. But since leaving office, the 68-year-old has been hit with a string of corruption allegations.

Ma was not present when the verdict was announced. He had maintained his innocence throughout and accused the prosecution of mounting a flimsy case.

"He is grateful and relieved by the not-guilty verdict in the retrial," his office said in a statement.