Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Taiwan corruption trial begins for ex-president Chen

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The corruption trial of former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian opened Thursday, one day after Chen criticized the proceedings as "political persecution." Chen was indicted in December and faces possible life in prison on charges of embezzlement, receiving bribes, forgery, and money laundering. Chen has maintained that the charges against him are politically motivated, alleging that the administration of current President Ma Ying-jeou is using the trial to distance itself from Chen's anti-China views. On Wednesday, Chen issued a statement of protest, declaring that a verdict against him had been determined before the trial began. Also Wednesday, the Taiwanese Ministry of Justice announced that it will investigate statements made by a prosecutor in the Chen trial on a television talk show to determine whether any confidential information was revealed. Chen's trial is expected to conclude in mid-April. Chen has staged two hunger strikes in protest of the charges against him, and in January he unsuccessfully appealed his pretrial detention. In February, Chen's wife, Wu Shu-Chen, pleaded guilty to charges of money-laundering and forgery, but denied charges that she embezzled from the presidential state affairs fund. Chen's sister-in-law has also pleaded guilty to charges that she had forged documents and transferred money to bank accounts upon orders from Chen and Wu. Chen has asserted that he was unaware of Wu's actions. In September 2008, Chen was cleared of separate defamation charges.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 26, 2009 (boomark / email).