A court in Edinburgh yesterday denied a request by British national Zain Dean, convicted in Taiwan of killing a man while driving under the influence of alcohol, to be granted bail and deferred a bail bond hearing at the request of Dean’s attorney to next month.
The hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16, while the court asked the defendant and Scottish prosecutors to present new testimony before Dec. 12, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stationed in the UK, who attended the hearing yesterday to monitor developments.
The court also scheduled hearings on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 to rule on a request made by the Taiwanese government that Dean be extradited to Taiwan to face trial, the official added.
Because the UK has three levels of trial courts, the legal process to rule on the extradition request could be very lengthy, the official said, adding that Scottish prosecutors said experience has shown that it can take as long as two or three years to reach a final verdict in an extradition case.
Dean, chief executive of UK-based NCL Media’s Taiwan branch before fleeing Taiwan last year after his conviction, was arrested by Scottish police on Oct. 17 and was detained following a ruling by an Edinburgh court.
Dean fled Taiwan in August last year, shortly before he was due to begin serving a four-year prison term for the killing of a newspaper delivery man in downtown Taipei in 2010 while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Taiwanese prosecutors issued a warrant for Dean’s arrest in January.
Following his high-profile escape, in which Dean used a friend’s passport and makeup to disguise himself, the Ministry of Justice contacted British authorities through diplomatic channels to ask for assistance after the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office learned of his whereabouts.
Several rounds of negotiations eventually led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding last month specifically covering Dean’s extradition. It was signed by Chen Wen-chi (陳文琪), director of the Ministry of Justice’s Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs and British Home Office Director Tyson Hepple.
Commenting on the Edinburgh court’s latest ruling, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) yesterday said he was gratified by the judges’ decision.
“I hope the judges will take into consideration the pain and suffering of the victim’s family, as well as Dean’s criminal act, and rule in favor of the extradition request,” Chen said.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS