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Former president reunited with family
for final time
FAREWELL:As this could prove the last time the former
first lady sees her husband, depending on a court decision, Wu Shu-jen said she
hopes to be married to him in a next life
By Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporter
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) met members of his family for what could
be the last time yesterday, gathering in a small room at his detention center to
emotionally bid farewell.
Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), who like her husband was sentenced to at
least 11 years in prison, and their son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), arrived at the
Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng (土城) in the morning in an SUV driven by some
of the former president’s supporters.
Looking downcast and ignoring media inquiries, the wheelchair-bound Wu was
pushed into the gray building where she told the former president, convicted of
accepting hundreds of millions of NT dollars in bribes, that she hoped they “can
still be married in the next life.”
Chen Shui-bian is expected to be transferred to Taipei Prison within two weeks,
after the Supreme Court found him guilty on Friday of taking bribes to
facilitate land deals and political appointments and sentenced him to at least
11 years in prison. His wife, a co-defendant in the case, was also found guilty
of the same charges.
Prosecutors have yet to decide where Wu, paralyzed from the waist down following
a hit-and-run incident 25 years ago, will serve her sentence, but there is
speculation that it could be in Taichung Prison, which maintains a large medical
center.
Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) told a Judiciary and Organic Laws and
Statutes Committee meeting at the legislature yesterday that as the Prison Act
(監獄行刑法) does not regulate convicted people serving their sentence at home, Wu
could be sent to Kaohsiung Prison and then Taichung Prison if necessary.
Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) said that if, after being sent to
prison, Wu’s health deteriorated, she could be transferred to a prison hospital,
adding that if her condition worsened further, Wu could be released on very
heavy bail and resume her sentence after her condition improves.
Even if the former first couple earned a few years off for good behavior, it
remains unclear how long the final prison sentences will be. Judges and
prosecutors have yet to decide if Friday’s sentences of 11 years and eight years
should be served concurrently or consecutively.
Chen Shui-bian, 60, and Wu, 57, also have three more court cases still pending
appeal by the Taiwan High Court, including charges of accepting more bribes,
money laundering and embezzling secret diplomatic funds, for which the two had
originally received life sentences, but which were shortened to 20 years during
an appeal.
“This could be the last time in this life they see each other,” Chen Chih-chung
said after the family reunion.
“Dad wants mom to not give up and to take care ... and mom hopes dad can also
take good care of himself,” he said. “[She hopes] they can still be married in
the next life.”
An official at Taipei Detention Center said that after the meeting, Chen
Shui-bian was escorted back to his cell — his home for almost 700 days — and
immediately started writing on a piece of paper. Chen Shui-bian was not
especially emotional during this period, Taipei Detention Center deputy director
Yeh Pi-jen (葉碧仁) said.
Outside the detention center, a small number of supporters of the former
president briefly clashed with police, repeatedly chanting slogans such as “Chen
Shui-bian is completely innocent.”
Tensions went up a notch after a People First Party city councilor candidate
drove beside the protesters and called for “respect for the judiciary,” adding:
“Chen Shui-bian is guilty.”
According to the Central News Agency, despite the Supreme Court’s final ruling,
one of the former president’s lawyers has said that Chen Shui-bian would not
rule out the possibility of an extraordinary appeal.
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