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Updated Monday, February 2, 2009 10:22 am TWN, By Amber Wang, AFP

Taiwan's corruption case to challenge its judicial system

Lin said it was worrying to see the way that some prosecutors had mimicked Chen's behavior during his arrest when he defiantly put his handcuffed hands in the air.

“This poking fun at a former leader is very improper. It shows that those who have the authority are flippant about exercising their powers.”

Chen, 58, became president in 2000 as leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), pledging to clean up the corrupt political legacy left by a half-century of governance by the Kuomintang (KMT), which had ruled the island since it fled mainland China in 1949.

Chen, who often irked Beijing with his pro-independence policies while in office, has repeatedly accused Ma's Beijing-friendly government of leading a witch hunt. The government, which took over after his eight years in power, has flatly rejected the charge. And not all outside observers agree that Chen is more sinned against than sinning.

“The fact that Chen's legal difficulties started while he was still in office underscores the independence of the judiciary,” said Ralph Cossa, head of the Center's for Strategic and International Studies Pacific Forum in Hawaii.

“I'm disappointed in the way the (opposition) DPP leadership has decided to play into Chen's accusations ... given the preponderance of evidence and guilty pleas from his family,” he said.

The ex-leader's problems first surfaced when his son-in-law was arrested in May 2006 on allegations of insider trading. Later that year his wife was charged with graft in a case that also implicated Chen.

Taiwanese prosecutors launched a probe into Chen on May 20, 2008, hours after he lost his presidential immunity when his second four-year term expired.

Chen has admitted his wife wired 20 million U.S. dollars abroad from his past campaign funds. He said she did so without his knowledge and has denied accusations laundering money.

However, his son and daughter-in-law last week pleaded guilty to money laundering charges and promised to send 38 million U.S. dollars back to Taiwan from their overseas accounts.

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