Life Sentence for Taiwan Ex-President
Sam Yeh/ Protesters gathered in front of Taipei District Court on Friday to rally against the conviction of Chen Shui-bian, the former president of Taiwan.
Published: September 11, 2009
BEIJING — Chen Shui-bian, the former president of Taiwan who had been on trial since March for corruption, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday by a three-judge panel. The sentencing was expected, but nonetheless came as a serious blow to the political forces that Mr. Chen had led for decades in opposing the traditional ruling party of Taiwan, the Kuomintang.
Mr. Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-chen, was also convicted of corruption and sentenced to life in prison. They were accused, among other things, of stealing and misusing public money from 2000 to 2008, while Mr. Chen was in office. They were both fined a total of $15 million.
Under Taiwanese law, it is mandatory for the trial court to file an appeal in cases involving a life or death sentence, even if the convict chooses not to appeal.
Mr. Chen was the first politician outside the Kuomintang to become president of Taiwan, after he helped lead a pro-democracy movement that opposed martial law and other civil restrictions. Martial law was not lifted until 1987, and the island’s first multi-party elections were held in 1996.
Mr. Chen had also strongly campaigned against the corruption that many Taiwanese saw as widespread within the Kuomintang, which retreated to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists in 1949.
Mr. Chen was a divisive figure, reflecting the wide gap between supporters of the Kuomintang and those of Mr. Chen’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, or D.P.P., which generally advocates greater distance from mainland China. When he first entered office, Mr. Chen took a conciliatory attitude toward Beijing, but was rebuffed by Chinese leaders who saw him as a threat to eventual reunification. He then began putting in place policies that moved the island toward greater independence.
Mr. Chen’s recent tribulations have been closely followed in Taiwan, starting with the night last November when Mr. Chen was led from his home in handcuffs. He was indicted in December. One of the harshest charges concerned the embezzlement of $3.15 million from a special presidential fund. Mr. Chen was also accused of taking bribes worth at least $9 million in relation to a government land deal and laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts.
On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators milled about outside the courthouse, many dressed in green shirts, the color of the D.P.P. Some held up signs that said “Stop political persecution” and “Free A-bian,” using an affectionate nickname for him.
Mr. Chen’s most ardent supporters said that the trial was a political witch hunt engineered by the president, Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang, who has denied all such accusations.
“It’s quite unfair!” said Huang Liu-chu, 57, who had lived in Taipei for 40 years.
Others praised the handling of the case, saying it showed that even the most powerful figures in Taiwan had to answer to the law.
“This is the hallmark of a democracy,” said Lin Hou-Wang, the director of the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University and a supporter of the Kuomintang. “No matter whether the person concerned is a prince or a commoner, all are equal before the law.”
The Democratic Progressive Party has been in disarray since Mr. Ma won the presidential elections in the spring of 2008 by a wide margin over Frank Hsieh, the D.P.P. candidate. But Mr. Ma’s popularity ratings have dropped sharply in recent months, as the economy continues to show lackluster performance and as many Taiwanese accuse Mr. Ma and the government of acting too slowly during a powerful typhoon in August, when at least 700 people were killed or went missing during several days of torrential rain and mudslides.
On Monday, the Taiwanese prime minister, Liu Chao-shiuan, resigned and announced that the entire cabinet would be replaced, saying someone had to take responsibility for the catastrophic results of the typhoon.
Yu-Tzu Chiu contributed reporting from Taipei, and Li Bibo contributed research from Beijing.
Sam Yeh/ Protesters gathered in front of Taipei District Court on Friday to rally against the conviction of Chen Shui-bian, the former president of Taiwan.
Published: September 11, 2009
BEIJING — Chen Shui-bian, the former president of Taiwan who had been on trial since March for corruption, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday by a three-judge panel. The sentencing was expected, but nonetheless came as a serious blow to the political forces that Mr. Chen had led for decades in opposing the traditional ruling party of Taiwan, the Kuomintang.
Mr. Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-chen, was also convicted of corruption and sentenced to life in prison. They were accused, among other things, of stealing and misusing public money from 2000 to 2008, while Mr. Chen was in office. They were both fined a total of $15 million.
Under Taiwanese law, it is mandatory for the trial court to file an appeal in cases involving a life or death sentence, even if the convict chooses not to appeal.
Mr. Chen was the first politician outside the Kuomintang to become president of Taiwan, after he helped lead a pro-democracy movement that opposed martial law and other civil restrictions. Martial law was not lifted until 1987, and the island’s first multi-party elections were held in 1996.
Mr. Chen had also strongly campaigned against the corruption that many Taiwanese saw as widespread within the Kuomintang, which retreated to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists in 1949.
Mr. Chen was a divisive figure, reflecting the wide gap between supporters of the Kuomintang and those of Mr. Chen’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, or D.P.P., which generally advocates greater distance from mainland China. When he first entered office, Mr. Chen took a conciliatory attitude toward Beijing, but was rebuffed by Chinese leaders who saw him as a threat to eventual reunification. He then began putting in place policies that moved the island toward greater independence.
Mr. Chen’s recent tribulations have been closely followed in Taiwan, starting with the night last November when Mr. Chen was led from his home in handcuffs. He was indicted in December. One of the harshest charges concerned the embezzlement of $3.15 million from a special presidential fund. Mr. Chen was also accused of taking bribes worth at least $9 million in relation to a government land deal and laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts.
On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators milled about outside the courthouse, many dressed in green shirts, the color of the D.P.P. Some held up signs that said “Stop political persecution” and “Free A-bian,” using an affectionate nickname for him.
Mr. Chen’s most ardent supporters said that the trial was a political witch hunt engineered by the president, Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang, who has denied all such accusations.
“It’s quite unfair!” said Huang Liu-chu, 57, who had lived in Taipei for 40 years.
Others praised the handling of the case, saying it showed that even the most powerful figures in Taiwan had to answer to the law.
“This is the hallmark of a democracy,” said Lin Hou-Wang, the director of the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University and a supporter of the Kuomintang. “No matter whether the person concerned is a prince or a commoner, all are equal before the law.”
The Democratic Progressive Party has been in disarray since Mr. Ma won the presidential elections in the spring of 2008 by a wide margin over Frank Hsieh, the D.P.P. candidate. But Mr. Ma’s popularity ratings have dropped sharply in recent months, as the economy continues to show lackluster performance and as many Taiwanese accuse Mr. Ma and the government of acting too slowly during a powerful typhoon in August, when at least 700 people were killed or went missing during several days of torrential rain and mudslides.
On Monday, the Taiwanese prime minister, Liu Chao-shiuan, resigned and announced that the entire cabinet would be replaced, saying someone had to take responsibility for the catastrophic results of the typhoon.
Yu-Tzu Chiu contributed reporting from Taipei, and Li Bibo contributed research from Beijing.
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