Prosecutors will bring all 58 boxes of possibly classified documents seized from two offices linked to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to the Taipei Detention Center tomorrow and open them in Chen’s presence, the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) announced yesterday.
SIP spokesman Chen Hung-ta (陳宏達) said prosecutors had decided to allow Chen to be present when the sealed documents are unveiled.
The spokesman added that prosecutors were planning to open five boxes of documents per day, meaning that the entire process would be completed in about 10 days.
Chen Hung-ta said arrangements had been made so that this would be done at the detention center, as this was the most convenient and “safest” way to do it.
Chen Shui-bian’s office had requested that the former president, as well as his lawyer and the media, be present when the 58 boxes were opened.
However, Chen Hung-ta said prosecutors had only agreed to Chen Shui-bian being present.
Dozens of investigators raided the former president’s current and former offices on Linyi Street and Guanqian Road on Sept. 15 after allegations surfaced that he had illegally removed boxes of classified documents from the Presidential Office when he left office two years ago.
The Presidential Office took legal action late last month to reclaim the documents, saying Chen Shui-bian may have breached security protocols and endangered national security if the boxes contained classified information.
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