The Supreme Court yesterday turned down an appeal by prosecutors against the acquittal of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on charges of stealing US$330,000 from secret diplomatic funds -during his time in office.
The Supreme Court decision followed rulings by both the Taipei District Court and the Taiwan High Court that Chen had used the secret diplomatic fund in accordance with past precedent.
The lower courts also said in their “not guilty” verdicts that the prosecution had failed to prove that money from the diplomatic fund was included in the amounts Chen and his family had wired to an overseas account to pay for his son’s education in the US.
Chen had been accused of skimming US$30,000 from the lump sum of US$100,000 in secret diplomatic funds that was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for each of Chen’s 11 trips abroad between August 2000 and September 2006. Prosecutors charged that Chen had used the funds to help finance his son’s education in the US.
The former president is currently serving a combined jail term of 17-and-a-half years in Taipei Prison in Kueishan, Taoyuan County, for taking bribes.
He was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Supreme Court in November last year for accepting bribes in a land deal when he was in office and to another eight years on bribery charges in a second case.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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