The Taiwan High Court yesterday extended former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) detention by three months on the grounds that he still represented a flight risk if he were released.
The Court yesterday afternoon conducted a hearing to decide whether to continue to detain Chen while the Supreme Court is in the process of reviewing his case.
Taiwan High Court Judge Teng Chen-chiu (鄧振球) in the evening announced an extension of Chen’s detention by three months, which means Chen would be detained until at least Oct. 18.
SWISS ACCOUNTS
Teng said that although the Chen family had wired back to Taiwan US$11.52 million from their Swiss bank accounts, Chen had to wire all the money back if he wanted to have a better chance of being released.
The former first family allegedly still has about US$7 million in Swiss accounts.
Teng said Chen could flee the country if he were released, adding that the former president had better foreign connections than most people and that with the foreign assets he could have access to, releasing him represented a risk.
Chen and his wife were convicted of embezzling public funds, forgery and money laundering during Chen’s two terms as president.
Chen was first detained at the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng on Nov. 12, 2008, and released on Dec. 13, 2008, following his indictment.
He was detained again on Dec. 30, 2008, after the Taipei District Court approved a request by prosecutors to take him back into custody. He has remained in detention since.
The Taiwan High Court on June 11 reduced the life sentences for Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), to 20 years in prison.
The court also reduced the fines for Chen and Wu to NT$170 million (US$5.2 million) and NT$200 million from the earlier NT$200 million and NT$300 million respectively.
Chen and Wu, as well as prosecutors, have appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
VENDETTA
The former president maintains that he is innocent and that the accusations against him are part of a retribution campaign by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to please Beijing as it seeks rapprochement in the Taiwan Strait.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of