Prosecutors to appeal Chen release

Supreme Prosecutor Chen Tsung-ming said a final decision will be made today at a meeting of prosecutors handling the investigation into the alleged scams involving the former leader and his family.

Chen said the former president was still involved in some other cases and the probes are not finished yet.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's team initially said on early Saturday morning they would "respect the court's decision" but changed tack yesterday.

The panel of prosecutors will conduct a thorough review and discuss the ruling by the Taipei District Court today and may file an appeal with the Taiwan High Court against the local court's decision.

Major public opinion polls showed lopsided opposition to the district court's ruling to set Chen free because it would inhibit many businesspeople involved in alleged bribery cases from coming forward to tell the truth.

Former Vice President Annette Lu, who served along with Chen for eight years, called on Chen to apologize to the island's 23 million people.

"I want to urge former President Chen Shui-bian and his family to apologize to the public and their supporters. After all, what they did have harmed Taiwan and broken the hearts of their supporters," she said.

"Hopefully they can face justice," said Lu, herself a target of a corruption probe.

Lu is under investigation on allegedly embezzling NT$5.6 million in "special expenses" -- which are intended for public functions only -- by using false receipts from December 2000 to May 2006. She has insisted she is innocent.

She also urged President Ma Ying-jeou to take initiative to help settle the "special expenses" controversies that could implicate a large number of current and former senior officials.

Ma, a former justice minister, was the first ranking official caught in the dispute when he was charged by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party for embezzling from the "special expenses" when he served as Taipei mayor.

He was indicted by prosecutors but was exonerated by courts in successive trials because records showed that he had made bigger donations to charities and other public causes than the sum of "special expenses" remitted into his bank accounts by aides in accordance with a time-honored practice.

Meanwhile, aides to former President Chen confirmed that he will return to work at his office this morning.

They said Chen decided to spend some time with family before resuming work today.

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