Despite the presence of judges, lawyers and dozens of spectators, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) shared a quiet moment with his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), yesterday, the first since early last month.
The emotional get-together took place after both were called to the Taiwan High Court to answer questions in a retrial involving accusations that the former first couple embezzled secret diplomatic funds.
The former first couple appeared uninterested in their arguments in the case, which were read by their lawyers. Instead the two spent most of the court appearance with their heads down, engaged in quiet conversation.
A frail looking Wu, was heard telling the former president that he needed to dress more warmly. Before leaving, she was also seen giving Chen milk caramel candy.
Judges denied a request from the defense to give the couple more time together to discuss their case, part of the many legal proceedings in which the two have been embroiled since Chen stepped down in May 2008.
Wu told judges during the session that she hoped they would call on Chen to appear at court whenever she is also due to make an appearance in the future.
The two are expected to see each other again in the coming month as the court hears their arguments on other charges of bribery in relation to the construction of the Nangang Exhibition Hall and laundering money overseas.
Both Chen and Wu have already been sentenced to 17-and-a-half-year sentences in a separate case involving two other instances of bribery concerning a land transaction in Taoyuan County and helping former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) secure a financial appointment.
After being upheld by the Supreme Court in November, the former president began serving his sentence at Taipei Prison on Dec. 2. It is not yet certain when Wu, wheelchair-bound and suffering from ill health, will begin serving her term.
Despite a recent report by the Chinese-language Next Magazine claiming that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told judicial authorities to keep Wu out of prison, Ministry of Justice officials said that procedure would be followed.
“Prosecutors have already received information on Wu’s health from her hospitals and will be making further arrangements with [Taichung Prison],” Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday.
Yesterday’s proceedings came one day after Chen Shui-bian denied that he encouraged members of his staff, including former office director Lin Teh-hsun (林德訓) and former top aide Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成), to falsify evidence, responding to separate accusations from prosecutors.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
RSS