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Another conviction,
jail term for Chen
FINANCIAL REFORM CASE: The Supreme Court gave
the former president a 10-year term and his wife eight years for graft in
connection with the Yuanta-Fuhwa merger
Staff writer, with AFP
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his wife were convicted and sentenced
to more years in prison yesterday on graft charges.
Chen was convicted of accepting NT$200 million (US$6.9 million) in bribes in
connection with Yuanta Financial Holding Co’s (元大金控) merger with Fuhwa Financial
Holding Co (復華金控) and sentenced to another 10 years, the Supreme Court said in a
statement.
Chen, 62, is currently serving an 18-and-a-half year term for corruption and
money-laundering.
By law, an individual can serve only a maximum of 20 years in prison unless a
life term is imposed. A court will announce early next year how much Chen’s jail
term will be extended by yesterday’s ruling.
Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division spokesman Chen Hung-ta
(陳宏達) said one result of the ruling is that the government will now be able to
ask the Swiss government to return the money which Chen’s family deposited in a
Swiss bank.
The court said the money was paid to Chen as a bribe by Yuanta. The sum has been
frozen by Swiss authorities since the scandal broke in 2008.
Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), already sentenced to 19 years and two months on
four convictions for charges including corruption and perjury, was sentenced to
eight years in jail.
Chen’s defense attorney, Shih Yi-lin (石宜琳), said the Supreme Court still favored
the argument that “the president played an influential role.”
“It is a very controversial stance in the legal field. It is also an expanded
interpretation on the legal power and authority of the presidency,” Shih said,
adding that he would consider whether to appeal the ruling.
Chen Shui-bian’s office issued a statement questioning whether the ruling was
the result of “political interference” that aimed to disgrace Chen by rendering
a verdict that was unconstitutional.
Saying the money came from political donations, Chen and Wu’ son, Chen
Chih-chung (陳致中), accused the judiciary of being pliable when it came to dealing
with his father.
Chen Shui-bian was detained in November 2008 on corruption charges stemming from
his two terms as president between 2000 and 2008. He and members of his family
have been accused of laundering millions of US dollars by sending political
donations and secret diplomatic funds abroad, and taking kickbacks on government
contracts.
Chen Shui-bian insists that the legal actions against him are a vendetta carried
out by President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration (馬英九) in retaliation for
promoting Taiwan’s independence from China during his years in office. The
government rejects the allegations.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
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