Former first couple get long jail sentences in appeal to Supreme Court
ROC Central News Agency
2010/11/11 19:20:09
Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Former President Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen received lengthy prison terms from the Supreme Court on Thursday on bribe-taking and money-laundering charges.
The court sentenced both defendants to 11-year jail terms for charges relating to a land purchase deal in Longtan Township, Taoyuan County, and 8-year terms for similar charges in a case involving former Taipei 101 Chairwomen Diana Chen.
In September 2009, the Taipei District Court handed down life sentences to the former first couple, for a variety of corruption, money-laundering and document-forgery cases, including embezzling state funds, the Longtan land-purchase deal, Diana Chen kickback case, and Nangang Exhibition Center (NEC) development project case.
Following appeal, the Taiwan High Court sentenced them to 20 years in prison on June 11.
And following the defendants' second appeal, the Supreme Court has handed down the more lenient sentences on two of the cases and ordered a retrial on the state fund embezzlement and NEC cases.
The Supreme Court judges said that prosecutors can seek combined sentences for each of the pair after consulting the Taiwan High Court.
To date, the High Court has twice rejected Chen's appeals to be set free, last ruling Oct. 1 to keep him in detention until Dec. 18.
High Court judges have hinted in the past that the former president has a better chance to be released if the funds stashed overseas by the former first family are returned.
(By Lai Yu-chia, Sherry Tang and Deborah Kuo)
enditem/MH
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
