|
Prison criticized for
rejecting Chen¡¦s request for transfer
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
The office of former president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó), who is serving a
17-and-a-half-year jail sentence for corruption, said yesterday that it
regretted to learn of Taipei Prison¡¦s rejection of Chen¡¦s request for a transfer
to another prison after his return to the jail following medical treatment on
Tuesday.
The prison rejected Chen¡¦s request despite his meeting all the legal
requirements for a transfer, the office said in a statement.
An inmate can request a transfer if his spouse is handicapped or his mother is
more than 65 years old ¡X both of which apply in Chen¡¦s case, the office said.
Chen requested a transfer from Taipei Prison to Tainan Prison, which is closer
to his 85-year-old mother¡¦s residence in Greater Tainan and former first lady Wu
Shu-jen¡¦s (§d²Q¬Ã) residence in Greater Kaohsiung.
Chen¡¦s office cited the example of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
legislator Chiu Yi (ªô¼Ý) and said the prison should be able to grant a transfer
with an administrative order, even though Chen would still have to return to
Taipei to stand trial in other cases.
Chen, who was granted a temporary release from prison on Tuesday last week for a
seven-day medical checkup at Taoyuan General Hospital, should have been allowed
an extended stay at the hospital, the office said.
The former president was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome and underwent a
cardiac catheterization on Thursday last week.
However, the office said Chen¡¦s medical treatment remained ¡§incomplete¡¨ as his
health was deteriorating, and he was still suffering from headaches and chest
pain after returning to prison.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (ªL¥k©÷) said
yesterday the party was concerned about Chen¡¦s health and he urged the Ministry
of Justice to respect Chen¡¦s right to healthcare and to provide him with the
required medical treatment.
|
