Ma Ying-jeou ( ) (born July 13, 1950 in Hong Kong) is a politician in the Republic of China (Taiwan), a former Justice Minister, former Mayor of Taipei, and former Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 2005 to 2007.
Ma was elected Mayor of Taipei in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. He was elected Chairman of the Kuomintang by party members on July 16, 2005. He announced his resignation on February 13, 2007 after being indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of misuse of Mayoral funds during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei - he was found not guilty in the first and second trials, but the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. Ma subsequently announced his candidacy for the Presidency in the ROC presidential election of 2008. . On May 2, 2007, Ma was officially named the KMT's nominee for the 2008 Presidential Election.
