The son of imprisoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday vowed to appeal a Taiwan High Court ruling on Thursday that found him guilty of helping his parents launder money they received as bribes for arranging bank mergers.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), who is presently doing community service in Greater Kaohsiung in lieu of a three-month prison sentence for perjury in a corruption charge that also involved his parents, said the High Court’s rulings were “absolutely unacceptable” to him and his family.
He said the funds channeled to his family during his father’s tenure were “political donations” and described the court’s sentences as politically motivated.
The High Court reversed a ruling by the Taipei District Court last year that acquitted Chen, his wife Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), Chen Chih-chung and his wife, Huang Jui--ching (黃睿靚), of bribery and money laundering charges related to bank mergers that were part of a “second financial reform” initiative.
It sentenced the former president to 18 years and Wu to 11 years in prison and fined them NT$180 million (US$5.95 million) and NT$102 million respectively for taking bribes from financial conglomerates to help arrange favorable mergers during Chen’s tenure as president between 2000 and 2008.
They were also ordered to return the NT$500 million they allegedly received in bribes to the national coffers. In the same ruling, the court sentenced Chen Chih-chung to one year in jail and fined him NT$4 million and gave Huang a six-month sentence and a NT$2 million fine for their parts in helping hide and move the money.
The former president’s son, who announced his intention to run for a seat in the legislature on Sept. 1, two weeks after he was stripped of his post on Greater Kaohsiung Council because of his perjury conviction, called for voters to make the right choice when voting for a new president on Jan. 14.
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
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
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,
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
RSS