He attended the debate session, the last before presiding judge Tsai Shou-hsun hands down verdicts on all four cases involving the ex-president and his family, as was expected but did not try to defend himself.

Hsu Tian-tsair, mayor of Tainan and a confidant of the ex-president, told the press on Monday Chen would argue his case.

Chen let his two public defense attorneys do the arguing instead.

They said after the hearing was closed in the afternoon that Chen was “very much satisfied” with their arguments about his innocence.

“He actually said we did better than he could ever do himself,” Tseng Teh-ying, one of the defense lawyers said.

Tang Chen-chi, the other court-appointed attorney, said she and Tseng read from President Chen's hand-written talking points totaling 150 pages.

Asked whether the arguments could be published, the two defense attorneys said they may consider publication.

But the defense focused the arguments for innocence on Chen having no knowledge of the bribes allegedly taken and money laundry.

On charges of misappropriating what is known as the “state affairs” fund, Tang argued that the fund is the same as the expenses, which can be written off without justification.

Both Chen and his wife Wu Shu-chen are charged with using receipts and invoices borrowed from friends and relatives to write off at least NT$1 billion in the eight years he was in office from 2000 to 2008.

Wu is standing trial for taking bribes to help award contracts for the Nankang Exhibition Hall and have the government purchase land at Longtan for a science-based industrial park at a bloated price.

She admitted she accepted political contributions, part of which were remitted to foreign banks. The money allegedly laundered topped NT$960 million.

Also involved in the four cases are former first son Chen Chih-chung, his wife Huang Jui-ching, and Chen's former staff, including Ma Yung-cheng, his deputy secretary-general.

Lee Chieh-mu, a former director-general of the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, pleaded guilty to conspiring to buy the land at Longtan.

Lin Yi-chun, a Special Counsel prosecutor, argued against President Chen.

She enumerated several incriminating pieces of evidence to prove that President Chen had taken bribes, had auditing reports forged and helped launder all the money at banks abroad.

“Should the money be political contributions,” Lin said, “there's no need whatsoever to remit it abroad and claim it's a fund for the establishment of a republic of Taiwan.”

Citing an admonition from the Emperor Taizhong of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the prosecutor said a government official should consider their remuneration to come from the people, who should be defrauded, while they shouldn't try to cheat the son of Heaven.

Those officials who took bribes are considered to have no conscience.

The president is a public office holder. “You are a man without conscience,” Lin told the former president in court.

“And yet,” she went on, “the former president isn't contrite and claims the judiciary is persecuting him.” “It's the judiciary that is being persecuted by the ex-president,” she pointed out.

But Lin did not demand the punishment President Chen deserves. It's customary that the prosecutor demands a sentence to be given a defendant at the debate session.

If she did, Chen might have to be sentenced to life, if convicted.

Only President Chen is still under detention.

He has been held since December 30 last year.

His defense attorneys demanded that Chen be released on bail, but Tsai did not comply.

Tsai is expected to hand down his verdicts on all four cases on September 11.

Now that his client has attended his last hearing, Tseng said, there is no need for continuing his detention until the court rules on the cases.