The Taipei District Court early yesterday morning granted a request by prosecutors to detain former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in connection with corruption allegations, making him the first former president in the nation’s history to be arrested.
Chen is accused of embezzling about NT$15 million (US$450,000) while in office, money laundering, taking bribes and forgery.
The court decision capped 24 hours of high political drama, which saw a defiant Chen being led away in handcuffs, taken to hospital after claiming he had been assaulted by a bailiff and finally put behind bars.
Chen was escorted to court at about 4:30pm on Tuesday for a hearing on a request for his detention following seven hours of questioning by prosecutors from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel (SIP).
Taipei District Court spokesman Huang Chun-min (黃俊明) said judges Liu Huang-chi (劉煌基), Yeh Li-chi (葉力祺) and Liu Hsiu-chun (劉秀君) began the hearing to consider the detention request at about 8pm on Tuesday night. During the hearing, Chen complained he had been hit by one of the guards while leaving the prosecutors’ office.
At about 11pm, Liu interrupted the hearing and ordered that Chen be sent to the National Taiwan University Hospital for an examination.
Prosecutors reviewed video footage to determine when Chen was allegedly hit, but SIP spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said later that no evidence was found to back the claim.
Although doctors confirmed that the former president had strained an arm muscle, there was no evidence to prove that the injury was the result of a blow.
Chen Shui-bian was then escorted back to the court and the hearing resumed at 1am. At 7:05am, the three judges reached a decision, granting the detention request.
Chen Shui-bian left the court at about 8am under the protection of National Security Bureau (NSB) special agents and police, arriving at the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng (土城), Taipei County, at about 8:30am.
At about the same time, Ministry of Justice Deputy Minister Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) told a press conference that although the former president had been detained, he would have certain privileges because he was innocent until proven guilty.
“He can choose whether he wants a single room,” Huang said. “One of the NSB agents responsible for his security will also be allowed to stay with him to act as a liaison officer.”
Huang said Chen Shui-bian’s security was now the responsibility of the detention center, although NSB agents would be called whenever he was summoned for hearings or questioning.
In a statement yesterday, Chen Shui-bian’s office said the former president would relinquish his right to appeal the detention ruling in protest at what he called “political persecution” and a “political vendetta” against him.
Chen Shui-bian’s lawyer, Cheng Wen-long (鄭文龍), said in a statement that it would be pointless for the former president to appeal because the SIP had already reached a verdict and “the script has already been written.”
“It is political persecution and a political vendetta,” Cheng said.
The statement said Chen Shui-bian had expected to be detained and that this was a sacrifice he would endure.
He was willing to bear the cross of persecution, but he would like to see all other Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians — who he said were innocent — released, the statement said.
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