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Former first lady set for medical
evaluation for jail
Staff Writer, with CNA
Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (§d²Q¬Ã) has been ordered to report to Taichung
Prison¡¦s Pei Teh Hospital next Friday to undergo an evaluation to see if she is
well enough to serve a lengthy jail sentence, her son said yesterday.
Chen Chih-chung (³¯P¤¤) said his family was deeply worried about the decision by
judicial authorities because his mother, who is paralyzed from the waist down,
cannot care for herself on a daily basis.
¡§If she were forcibly incarcerated, it would be no different than killing her,¡¨
Chen said.
He said that under the law, prisons should reject convicts who lack the ability
to look after themselves, and he urged doctors to make a careful diagnosis of
his mother¡¦s condition.
Last November, the Supreme Court ruled that Wu and her husband, former president
Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó), should serve a total of 19 years in jail for taking bribes
during his term as president.
The Taiwan High Court in December set the sentence at 17.5 years each for the
couple.
Chen Shui-bian, who had been held at a detention center since late 2008, was
moved to Taipei Prison in Taoyuan County on Dec. 2 to begin serving his time.
Prison authorities are now considering how Wu should serve her sentence, given
her health condition.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors¡¦ Office said yesterday that it would abide by
the law in handling Wu¡¦s case, respecting the outcome of an assessment by
doctors and follow humanitarian principles.
Following legal procedures, Wu, who is living in Kaohsiung, will be driven by
ambulance to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors¡¦ Office before being sent to Pei
Teh Hospital for an evaluation.
If the former first lady is found to be well enough to serve time, she will
begin serving her sentence immediately after the evaluation. Otherwise, she will
be sent back home to await a further decision by prosecutors.
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