Attorney Chiang Tung-yuan (江東原) yesterday filed a request with the Taipei District Court for a decrease in the NT$20 million bail set for his client, former Taiwan Fertilizer Corp chairman Hsieh Sheng-fu (謝生富).
"A NT$20 million bail is ridiculous. According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the court has to consider the defendant's financial situation before issuing a bail decision. Hsieh does not have that much money. This is not fair," Chiang said.
Hsieh was detained for alleged involvement in the Zanadau Development Corp (
He was charged last Friday with corruption for allegedly using Taiwan Fertilizer's money to buy Zanadau stock and also receiving bribes from Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍), Zanadau's majority shareholder.
If convicted on all accounts, Hsieh could face a 14-year jail sentence.
He has been detained since Oct. 17 last year at the Taipei Detention House.
After a hearing on Saturday, the court decided to release Hsieh and Lawson Corp (
Both Su and former Kaohsiung County Government Public Works Bureau chief Lin Chi-jui (
Lin was bailed out immediately, while Su was released at 9am Sunday.
Lee's lawyer Tu Ying-ta (
In addition to asking the court to reduce Hsieh's bail, Chiang also filed another request for bail because the original bail order expired at 12pm yesterday.
Meanwhile, China Development Financial Holding Corp chairman Liu Tai-ying (
Prosecutors are still investigating Liu's alleged involvement in the scandal.
They have said that there will be a second indictment of more suspects involved in the case, including Liu.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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