The Supreme Court yesterday ruled against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) when it rejected his appeal against the Taiwan High Court’s ruling to keep him behind bars.
On Sept. 24, Presiding Judge Teng Chen-chiu (鄧振球) and two other judges of the Taiwan High Court ruled in Chen’s appeal to keep him detained for another three months because they said the crimes he has been found guilty of 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.
Chen then filed an appeal of the detention ruling, which was approved by the Supreme Court on Oct. 8.
The Supreme Court judges ruled that the High Court judges should reconsider whether their reasons for detention were sufficient and to hold a second detention hearing.
The High Court then ruled for a second time that Chen should be kept behind bars. Chen again filed an appeal against the High Court’s second ruling.
However, the Supreme Court said in its ruling yesterday that the reasons listed by the High Court were adequate, including flight risk and allegations of serious crimes.
After learning of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Chen’s attorney Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳) said he respected the court’s decision, but would soon request that the Council of Grand Justices rule on the constitutionality of a clause in the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) that does not limit the number of times a defendant of serious crimes can have his or her detention extended.
Because the Supreme Court’s ruling is final, the former president would most likely have to stay at the Taipei Detention Center until next month, when the High Court will hold another hearing to decide whether to extend Chen’s detention.
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
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
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
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