The Taiwan High Court yesterday ruled that the wife of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), would have to serve 17-and-a-half years in prison in connection with separate corruption and bribery cases.
The court also said the former first lady would to be fined a -total of NT$154 million (US$5.05 million).
Wu and the former president were each sentenced on Nov. 11 to a total of 19 years in jail on two bribery charges involving a land deal in Longtan (龍潭), Taoyuan County, and the appointment of a chairwoman of the company that operates the Taipei 101 skyscraper.
The rulings were final convictions in the first of several corruption cases implicating the former first family.
In addition to the two cases, several corruption cases against the couple are still pending in the Taiwan High Court.
By law, the High Court can determine whether the combined 19-year sentence should be served concurrently or consecutively. A panel at the court ruled yesterday that Wu’s total prison time should be 17-and-a-half years.
Judicial officials have said that the wheelchair-bound Wu would be sent to the Taichung Prison hospital to serve her sentence, but if Wu’s health was to deteriorate to such an extent that the prison hospital was unable to handle it, she would be sent back home. However, her time at home would not be included as her prison term.
Wu is expected to start serving her sentence soon.
The couple’s daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), has said that Wu’s health was precarious and that it was a problem every day just to feed, clothe and help her to the bathroom.
As the quality of care Wu would receive in prison was not clear, her mother should not be sent to jail, Chen Hsing-yu has said, adding that if anything happened to Wu during her incarceration, she would take legal action against the government.
The former president began serving his 17-and-a-half-year prison sentence at a jail in Taoyuan County on Dec. 3, making history as Taiwan’s first former head of state to be jailed.
Chen Shui-bian, who was president from 2000 until 2008, maintains that he is innocent and that his incarceration is a political vendetta by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led government to punish him for his work on Taiwanese independence, as well as to please Beijing.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
RSS