Life terms for Chen and wife cut to 20 years
June 12, 2010, Saturday
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TAIWAN'S High Court yesterday upheld former leader Chen Shui-bian's conviction on corruption charges but cut his life sentence to 20 years.
Chen, 59, was found guilty in September 2009 by the Taipei District Court of embezzling US$3.15 million from a special government fund, receiving bribes worth at least US$9 million and laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts.
He has been held in a Taipei jail for 17 months.
Chen's lawyer said his client accepted the decision "with mixed feelings."
"He was not pleased by the ruling and believes he should have been acquitted," said Shih Yi-lin. "But he also believes he has a good chance on the next appeal so he was not particularly upset."
Chen's next appeal will be to Taiwan's "supreme court." Should it uphold his conviction he can launch an appeal to the island's highest court, the Council of Grand Justices.
Chen could also be pardoned by Taiwan's incumbent leader, but only after all other avenues are exhausted.
Stricter standard
Yesterday's High Court ruling also upheld the graft conviction of Chen's wife Wu Shu-chen, but cut her life sentence to 20 years as well.
Presiding Judge Teng Chen-chiu said the sentences were reduced because the High Court had adopted a stricter standard than the District Court in determining what constituted embezzlement.
The High Court is now considering a separate request by Chen to be released pending his appeals. A ruling is expected some time before June 23, when his detention order expires.
Most Taiwan people believe Chen is guilty of at least some of the charges.
Chen was first elected in 2000, breaking a half-century monopoly on power by the Kuomintang, who retreated to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war.
He was re-elected by a razor-thin margin in 2004 amid charges that an election-eve assassination attempt against him was staged to garner sympathy among Taiwan's 23 million people.
An official inquiry failed to substantiate the charges.
He was also attacked over persistent rumors of official corruption involving his family and inner circle. Prosecutors opened an investigation shortly after he left office in May 2008 and indicted him six months later.
Over the past year, his Democratic Progressive Party has begun to recover from the bad reputation he left it with at the end of his second term.
Fearing that overt expressions of support could rekindle voter antipathy, the party has kept its distance from him, though it has echoed charges that the judicial process against him is "rigged."
In stark contrast to the charged feelings common during his second term, most Taiwan people appeared to regard yesterday's court ruling with indifference, focusing instead on the opening of the World Cup in South Africa.
Chen, 59, was found guilty in September 2009 by the Taipei District Court of embezzling US$3.15 million from a special government fund, receiving bribes worth at least US$9 million and laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts.
He has been held in a Taipei jail for 17 months.
Chen's lawyer said his client accepted the decision "with mixed feelings."
"He was not pleased by the ruling and believes he should have been acquitted," said Shih Yi-lin. "But he also believes he has a good chance on the next appeal so he was not particularly upset."
Chen's next appeal will be to Taiwan's "supreme court." Should it uphold his conviction he can launch an appeal to the island's highest court, the Council of Grand Justices.
Chen could also be pardoned by Taiwan's incumbent leader, but only after all other avenues are exhausted.
Stricter standard
Yesterday's High Court ruling also upheld the graft conviction of Chen's wife Wu Shu-chen, but cut her life sentence to 20 years as well.
Presiding Judge Teng Chen-chiu said the sentences were reduced because the High Court had adopted a stricter standard than the District Court in determining what constituted embezzlement.
The High Court is now considering a separate request by Chen to be released pending his appeals. A ruling is expected some time before June 23, when his detention order expires.
Most Taiwan people believe Chen is guilty of at least some of the charges.
Chen was first elected in 2000, breaking a half-century monopoly on power by the Kuomintang, who retreated to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war.
He was re-elected by a razor-thin margin in 2004 amid charges that an election-eve assassination attempt against him was staged to garner sympathy among Taiwan's 23 million people.
An official inquiry failed to substantiate the charges.
He was also attacked over persistent rumors of official corruption involving his family and inner circle. Prosecutors opened an investigation shortly after he left office in May 2008 and indicted him six months later.
Over the past year, his Democratic Progressive Party has begun to recover from the bad reputation he left it with at the end of his second term.
Fearing that overt expressions of support could rekindle voter antipathy, the party has kept its distance from him, though it has echoed charges that the judicial process against him is "rigged."
In stark contrast to the charged feelings common during his second term, most Taiwan people appeared to regard yesterday's court ruling with indifference, focusing instead on the opening of the World Cup in South Africa.
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