Reaction split along party lines in response to Thursday’s final court ruling, which convicted former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of two bribery charges, with many of Chen’s supporters submerged in a subdued mood, while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers hailed the verdict, adding it could help boost voters’ support for the party in the run up to the coming special municipality elections.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court sentenced Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), to 11 years in prison for taking bribes in a land-acquisition deal and another eight-year term for using their powers to secure a position for a businesswoman in exchange for money.
Reactions among supporters and former government and party officials that once worked with Chen were divided between -sadness and regret, but in most cases overlapped with respect for the judicial system.
A small number of supporters yesterday morning gathered outside the Tapei Detention Center where Chen has been held since December 2008. The group held placards challenging Thursday’s verdict and saying that the Republic of China was a dead country.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was quoted by the -Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) as saying that the news gave her grief and a heavy heart, but maintained that she would respect the ruling.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she hoped people would deal with the ruling “calmly and reasonably.”
The court decision should not be used “as a political tool,” she added.
Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who served in the Chen administration, said he believed Thursday’s verdict was made a long time ago, but added that the public “should accept it.”
DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), meanwhile, called for party unity.
“We should all respect the judiciary,” Su said. “Candidates are the ones who participate in the elections, and what the voters care about are their capability and efficiency.”
Among members of the former first family, only Chen Shui--bian’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), spoke publicly on the issue. The former president’s 83-year-old mother, Chen Lee Shen (陳李慎), refused to speak with the press at the family’s Tainan County home.
Echoing remarks made immediately following the court verdict on Thursday, Chen Chih-chung, who is running as a candidate for -Kaohsiung City Council, said during a campaign event that the ruling was politically motivated and urged voters to deal the government a defeat in the upcoming special municipality elections.
“My father’s only sin was that he was a Taiwanese president,” he said.
The KMT caucus, on the other hand, hailed Thursday’s verdict, saying it would help boost voters’ support for the party in the Nov. 27 special municipality elections.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said “the verdict showed how unreasonable the not guilty verdict handed down by Judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) on Nov. 5 in Chen’s other bribery case was.”
KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said Thursday’s verdict showed that “justice was finally served,” adding that it would help boost the pan-blue camp’s morale in the coming elections.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND MO YAN-CHIH
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