Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) lawyers yesterday confirmed that he has been summoned to appear at the High Court on May 13, as the court reopens a trial into corruption charges against Chen over alleged misuse of the state affairs fund.
The news was revealed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘), who claimed that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was behind the court’s decision to summon Chen.
The move comes at “a sensitive time when there are renewed calls by some in the pan-green camp for the former president to be pardoned,” Tsai wrote on Facebook. “The instruction came from the petty, narrow-minded Ma.”
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
“They had to schedule this hearing for just before May 20,” he added, referring to the date when Ma’s presidential term expires and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumes office.
“Has the Ministry of Justice done anything useful? What they are good at is bullying Chen,” Tsai Yi-yu wrote.
Chen’s attorney Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍) confirmed that the summons had been received at Chen’s residence on Friday evening.
The summons requires Chen to appear at the High Court in Taipei on May 13 9:30am, Cheng said.
“This is quite strange. For the four major court cases involving Chen, judicial proceedings have been shelved for the past one or two years. Why did they reopen the trial at this time?” Cheng asked.
The High Court summons concerns allegations concerning Chen’s discretionary use of a state affairs fund during his eight-year term as president, Cheng said, for which Chen was found guilty and given a life sentence in the court’s first ruling.
The verdict was overturned in the second ruling and Chen was found not guilty, Cheng said, adding that on appeal to the Supreme Court, the case was sent back for retrial.
“The cases against Chen all seem to be politically motivated. Suddenly at this time, they reopen the trial, so people are bound to think there is a political reason,” Cheng said.
“I do not believe Chen is physically well enough to appear in court, but we have to check with his family to verify whether they have received the court’s notification and let them make the decision,” Cheng added.
Chen was released from prison on medical parole on Jan. 5 last year, after serving six years for a graft conviction related to his presidency.
After his second term ended in 2008, Chen was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 for money laundering and bribery — a term reduced to 20 years after appeals.
He began serving his sentence on Nov. 11, 2010, but had been detained for about two years by then, while prosecutors were investigating and prosecuting the cases.
Chen said the charges against him are part of a political vendetta by the current Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government in retaliation for his eight years in power promoting Taiwanese independence.
Over the past week, the Kaohsiung City Council and Tainan City Council passed motions urging Ma to grant a pardon to Chen before May 20, which they said could facilitate rapprochement between the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
However, the Presidential Office on Friday issued a statement rejecting the call, saying that there are still ongoing criminal cases involving Chen.
Separately yesterday, in response to media queries over whether he would call on president-elect Tsai Ing-wen to pardon Chen should Ma refuse to back down on his stance, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said the issue would best be resolved before the presidential handover.
“With GDP forecast to head into negative growth this year, people are panicking. I am afraid that Tsai will have more pressing matters to attend to,” Ko said.
Ko, who is set to visit Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung today, said he would probably also vist Chen, who is living in the city.
“It is only natural for me to pay him a visit. I am the convener of his medical counseling team,” Ko said.
Additional reporting by Sean Lin and staff writer
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS