Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Taiwan ex-president Chen to be tried in closed-door proceedings Friday

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A Taiwanese court said Monday that former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian will be tried Friday in closed-door proceedings. The High Court said that proceedings, set for 9:30 AM Friday, would be closed to the media under secrecy regulations. Chen was indicted in September on corruption charges relating to funds he received while traveling abroad as president. He is accused of embezzling USD $330,000. Chen has maintained his innocence, claiming that current Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is using Chen's trial to distance himself from Chen's anti-China views. Chen, who served as president of Taiwan from 2000-2008, and his wife have been serving life sentences since September, when they were found guilty of embezzlement, receiving bribes, forgery, and money laundering. Taiwan's Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal in October, in which Chen claimed that his constitutional rights were violated when judges were replaced during the proceedings against him. Last month, Chen, along with his wife and 20 other family members and prominent business leaders, was indicted on additional charges of corruption and money laundering in relation to Chen's financial reform program. Chen and his wife are accused of taking bribes from banks and financial institutions that sought to protect themselves during the reform.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 12, 2010 (boomark / email).