The Taiwan High Court yesterday extended former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) detention by three months on the grounds that he still represented a flight risk if he were released.
The Court yesterday afternoon conducted a hearing to decide whether to continue to detain Chen while the Supreme Court is in the process of reviewing his case.
Taiwan High Court Judge Teng Chen-chiu (鄧振球) in the evening announced an extension of Chen’s detention by three months, which means Chen would be detained until at least Oct. 18.
SWISS ACCOUNTS
Teng said that although the Chen family had wired back to Taiwan US$11.52 million from their Swiss bank accounts, Chen had to wire all the money back if he wanted to have a better chance of being released.
The former first family allegedly still has about US$7 million in Swiss accounts.
Teng said Chen could flee the country if he were released, adding that the former president had better foreign connections than most people and that with the foreign assets he could have access to, releasing him represented a risk.
Chen and his wife were convicted of embezzling public funds, forgery and money laundering during Chen’s two terms as president.
Chen was first detained at the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng on Nov. 12, 2008, and released on Dec. 13, 2008, following his indictment.
He was detained again on Dec. 30, 2008, after the Taipei District Court approved a request by prosecutors to take him back into custody. He has remained in detention since.
The Taiwan High Court on June 11 reduced the life sentences for Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), to 20 years in prison.
The court also reduced the fines for Chen and Wu to NT$170 million (US$5.2 million) and NT$200 million from the earlier NT$200 million and NT$300 million respectively.
Chen and Wu, as well as prosecutors, have appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
VENDETTA
The former president maintains that he is innocent and that the accusations against him are part of a retribution campaign by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to please Beijing as it seeks rapprochement in the Taiwan Strait.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS