Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Friday, October 9, 2009 9:29 am TWN, By David Young, The China Post



	Former President Chen Shui-bian arrives at the Taiwan High Court for a new hearing on whether he can be released from detention after the Supreme Court instructed the high court to review its earlier ruling to keep Chen in custody. People backing Chen and those against him staged rallies outside the courthouse yesterday and police had to separate the opposing groups. (CNA) Enlarge Photo

Sponsors
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.

Ex-President Chen to stay detained

He and his supporters did not clash with the Redshirts, who marched with Shih Ming-teh, former DPP chairman, in October 2006 demanding Chen step down as president to take responsibility for a spate of scandals involving himself, his wife and his close aides.

Along with two defendants, President Chen was indicted for misappropriating a fund for secret diplomacy on September 21. He was charged with pocketing US$330,000 in petty cash in 11 diplomatic sallies in the eight years he served as president.

The other two defendants were involved in misappropriating US$500,000, which was said to be given a World Trade Organization secretary-general.

Chiou I-jen, former secretary-general of the National Security Council, was accused of pocketing the money with the help of Michael Kao, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs.

At least part of the money went to President Chen, prosecutors of the Special Counsel said.

The misappropriation case is independent of the corruption for which President Chen and his wife Wu Shu-chen were sentenced to life in jail.

Taipei district judge Tsai Shou-hsun tried the corruption case for more than four years. The former first lady, first indicted for corruption on Nov. 3, 2006, refused to appear in court for three years until her husband retired as president. She was charged with borrowing receipts from friends and relatives to claim reimbursements topping NT$100 million from a public fund under her husband's control for the conduct of "affairs of state."

The Special Counsel began a new investigation after Chen bowed out on May 20 last year. The probe led to an indictment in September last year. He has remained under custody since December 30 last year.

Prosecutors are afraid Chen may try to seek political asylum in a foreign embassy in Taipei. He claimed last week that he ruled Taiwan for eight years as "an agent" of the U.S. military government.

He is suing President Barack Obama and his Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for failure to continue placing Taiwan under U.S. military occupation. A U.S. appeals court has dismissed a petition by former president to be released from prison on the island.

1|2

Comments

October 9, 2009 err_co_eds@

Let’s see how our LAW is to protect the "Law Abiding Citizens" or the LAW just closed the Book of Law to accept BAIL from Corrupt Ex-President Chen and let him exit free from PRISON.
Let’s see how our system of LAW is for the INNOCENT VICTIM or for the PRIVILEDGE FEW CRIMINAL like CORRUPT and TRAITOR Ex-President Chen.
Remember. As President and a Professional Lawyer, Corrupt Chen has violated HIS OWN KNOWLEDGE OF LAW as a lawyer. And DISAVOW to Serve as President of Republic of China and People.
Remember the latest events being transpire from his affidavit Corrupt Chen VS against Obama and Gates etc etc.

October 9, 2009 johnny.bryan@

Ex-president Chen should remain in jail for further expedite on his misdeeds and wrongdoings. As the head of state, he misused state fund during his tenure, simple ask this question: Why his family especially First lady, were cashing on this fund? To find more cases, look into to matters related to money like misuse of foreign diplomacy and also I believe the Financial Reform II. What he did was not beneficial to Taiwan and people living, only his family and DPP. Sorrow of Taiwanese continues...

October 9, 2009 jpembleton@

To all you western liberal pro-Ah-bian supporters - including various heads of EU consulates & embassies here in Taiwan (and you know who you are), I say this: So you think Ah-bian is being unfairly tried, do you? Well how come virtually everyone else associated with his money laundering network has come clean, owned up, & spilled the beans? Not only that, but they have also voluntarily provided further damning evidence which incontrovertibly proves his guilt. The 'Chaing Kai Shek exacting revenge from his grave' conspiracy theory doesn't wear anymore. Things have moved on since 1949, and you have to face facts - the KMT is a different animal now, in all but name.

October 9, 2009 anotherdog58@

To jpembleton: I would love to believe your words, especially the last sentence. But isn't it true that now-president Ma was not jailed during his interrogation, and furthermore was cleared with the argument, that he spent more than he cashed in? The same argument was rejected for previous-president Chen?
Can you give some examples that "virtually everyone voluntarily provided damning evidence".
I am not so much concerned about Ah-Bian but rather the political climate in Taiwan, where this example serves as a soft return of the white terror. But here again I can hope, that the KMT can produce another Lee Hui Tang to free Taiwan from KMT princess and princesses.
So certainly KMT has the potential to be different to the past (which was not all bad, but often corrupt), but this example does not support it.

October 11, 2009 hft33362003@

Put him behind bars and put him out of sight from Taiwanese and when his appeal is exhausted and the conviction is confirmed by Supreme Court send him to a panel Island and the best one would be the Southern Taiping Island (there he will have a chance to meet PRC naval armada) where he took pride in his last Presidential duty taking along the Military chief to display his power.
Set up a 3 member special investigation panel of high power prosecutors who truly LOVE TAIWAN. Not he and those of his lackeys who use the catch phrase "LOVE TAIWAN" as a shield and cover to hoodwink Taiwanese. This 3 member prosecutors dig into further Chen Shui Bian abuse of power - how he received bribe in exercising his power to install political appointee to position of power, how he distributed nation money to his lackeys, how much more he and his family illegally taken from nation's coffer and where those money are stacked etc The results and findings should then be stored/kept in the national archive for use by historian, educators, authors of school books to teach Taiwanese children how this crook and conman is famous for such misdeeds. To show how a crook and conman can use the seat of Presidential power to his maximum advantage for his own ends.
At the end of it all confiscate up to the last penny and use it to benefit the ordinary Taiwanese who truly LOVE TAIWAN. YES, don't leave a penny for him to spend his ill gotten gains.