The Taiwan High Court said it would hold a hearing on Wednesday at the earliest on whether to keep former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in detention.
Chen’s current term of detention expires on Friday.
The courts are in the process of moving Chen’s corruption and money-laundering case from the district court, where the first verdict was passed down by judges in Judge Tsai Shou-hsun’s (蔡守訓) courtroom, to the Taiwan High Court for an appeals process.
The High Court will assign judges for the appeals through a random drawing this week. With the exception of four judges who are due to retire or seriously ill, all 86 high court judges are required to participate in the drawing.
The selection process will be closely watched because the Council of Grand Justices has yet to announce their interpretation on the constitutionality of switching of judges in Chen’s case.
A panel of judges ordered last December that Judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) be replaced by Tsai in the trial of Chen and 12 codefendants. The change prompted complaints of procedural flaws and political interference.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel (SIP) said on Friday that it had submitted its appeal of the sentences given to Chen, his wife Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), his son Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚), Wu’s friend Tsai Ming-che (蔡銘哲), former first family bookkeeper Chen Chen-hui (陳鎮慧) and contractor Kuo Chuan-ching (郭銓慶).
In their appeal, prosecutors said the sentences of some of the defendants were disproportionate to their involvement in the crimes, and that certain money-laundering crimes should be ruled on independently instead of including them as part of the corruption case.
The Taipei District Court found Chen Shui-bian, his wife and 11 codefendants guilty on Sept. 11 and sentenced the former president and his wife to life in prison and fines totaling NT$500 million (US$15.4 million).
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
RSS