Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) yesterday said former president Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) request to wear an electronic tag as an alternative to detention does not have a legal basis.
In his detention hearing on Thursday at the Taiwan High Court, Chen offered several alternatives to detention, including confiscation of his passport, wearing an electronic tag to monitor his movements, house arrest or restricting him from accepting visits from certain people.
However, the three judges of the court of appeals ruled to keep the former president detained for another three months because they said the crimes in question were serious and, as a former president, he has more channels to flee the country than an ordinary citizen.
The judges also expressed concern about the large amount of money and other assets the former first family has overseas.
Wang also confirmed that the Judicial Yuan was mulling a proposed amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) that would allow certain detainees to use electronic tags as an alternative to jail. However, even if the amendment passes, whether it would apply in Chen's case was “up to the judges,” she said.
Late on Thursday night, after hearing the judges' ruling to keep him behind bars, Chen fell back limply into his chair with a look of disappointment. He then closed his eyes and refused to talk or sign the necessary court documents after the hearing ended.
He was sent back to the Taipei Detention Center in an ambulance after medical staff reported that his blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and other physical conditions were normal.
On Sept. 11, the Taipei District Court found Chen Shui-bian, his wife and 11 codefendants guilty. The former first couple were sentenced to life in prison and fined NT$500 million (US$15.4 million).
Asked for comment on Chen's case, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Justin Chou (周守訓) said the caucus respected the court's decision.
“We hope that the opposition party will stop manipulating the issue of judicial human rights and sabotaging the judicial system,” Chou told a press conference.
Chen's continued detention renewed questions on whether the nation's judiciary has compromised Chen's human rights.
Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressed regrets over Chen's continued detention.
She said there was no longer a need for Chen to be detained because he had offered to have himself confined at home or wear a monitoring device.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND AP
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
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
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS