High Court judges reduced the sentences of several members of the former first family yesterday as former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) was sentenced to nine months for instigating perjury in a case related to former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) embezzlement and money laundering charges.
The couple’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), daughter Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤) and son-in-law Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘) each received three months for perjury, while former Taipei Financial Center Corp (台北金融大樓公司) chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) was given eight months for perjury.
All the sentences handed down by the appeals court were lighter than those given by the Taipei District Court.
The original sentences for Wu (18 months), Chen Chih-chung, Chen Hsing-yu and Chao (six months each) were halved because the crimes were committed before the passing of the 2007 Sentence Commutation (罪犯減刑條例), which halved the sentences of thousands of convicts.
However, Diana Chen’s charges did not meet the requirement for commutation. Her lawyer said they were dissatisfied with the ruling and would file an appeal.
The sentences cannot be converted to fines, but Chen Chih-chung, Chen Hsing-yu and Chao may be permitted to do community service instead of going to jail.
High Court judges found that Wu asked family members to give false testimony regarding the family’s alleged money laundering and embezzlement.
Family members admitted to the perjury charges when the case was under its first legal review, but appealed the lower court’s ruling, seeking leniency.
On Sept. 1, district court judges sentenced Chen Chih-chung, Chen Hsing-yu and Chao to a year in prison for perjury.
Wu was convicted of instigating perjury and given a two-year prison sentence, which was reduced to a year following commutation.
Chen Chih-chung, Chen Hsing-yu and Chao were convicted for following Wu’s instructions to give false testimony in 2005 when questioned about the presidential state affairs fund, a public fund earmarked for the president’s official use.
Chen Shui-bian is appealing a conviction for allegedly embezzling from the fund during his presidency.
Diana Chen, who received the heaviest sentence of one year and six months in the first ruling, did not admit to the perjury charges until Nov. 24, when the case was under its second review at the High Court.
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