Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍), who previously served as an attorney for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), yesterday hinted that the former president could re-hire him and other attorneys to file any appeal against the ruling in Chen’s case.
The Taipei District Court is set to announce its verdict tomorrow for the former president and 13 co-defendants in cases related to the presidential state affairs fund, a land deal in Taoyuan County’s Longtan Township (龍潭), a deal involving the Nangang Exhibition Hall, money-laundering, influence-peddling and profiteering.
The crimes of which Chen is accused were allegedly committed during his two presidential terms from 2000 to last year. Chen faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but can appeal the verdict.
PHOTO: PATRICK LIN, AFP
Speaking to reporters yesterday outside the Taipei Detention Center where Chen is being detained, Cheng said “it is possible” that Chen would re-hire his attorneys to defend him in appealing the district court’s ruling, which the former president expects to include heavy sentences.
Cheng said that if Chen appeals the district court’s ruling and re-hires his previous attorneys, they would be ready with arguments to be submitted to the High Court.
Cheng, Shih Yi-lin (石宜琳) and Hung Kwei-san (洪貴參) served as Chen’s attorneys until he dismissed them all in May, while retracting requests to call witnesses and refusing to answer questions in court to protest what he called an unfair justice system. The dismissal followed a decision by the district court to keep Chen in detention because it said he could collude with witnesses or flee the country.
After Chen dismissed his attorneys, the district court immediately assigned two court-appointed attorneys to represent him.
In response to a rumor that the court could set Chen’s bail at NT$600 million [US$20 million], Cheng said: “[Chen] probably would not be able to come up with even NT$60 million, let alone NT$600 million.”
Chen has been incarcerated since Dec. 30. He has denied the charges and says his detention and trial amount to political persecution by the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
At a separate setting yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Central Executive Committee filed a motion in support of Chen’s judicial rights and called for him to be released after the first ruling. The committee also instructed Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) to form a task force to assess plans on how to support Chen.
During the meeting yesterday, committee chairman Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) also briefed the attendees on events that could be held from tomorrow through Sept. 23, when the current term of Chen’s detention is set to expire.
After the committee meeting, Hsu told the media that concrete contents of the plan would depend on how the case evolves.
Meanwhile, Chen’s office said yesterday that Chen’s supporters plan to protest outside the Taipei District Court tomorrow.
“Some 300 to 500 people from various groups will gather outside the court to protest the sentencing because they think he is not guilty and detaining him is wrong,” Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘), secretary of Chen’s office, said by telephone.
He denied a local media report that Chen’s supporters plan to storm the court if they consider the sentence harsh.
“I have not heard they want to storm the court,” Chiang said. “They only want to express their disapproval.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA AND DPA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS