Taiwan’s court denies bail request by ex-president

TAIPEI - Taiwan’s High Court Thursday maintained a previous ruling to refuse bail for ex-president Chen Shui-bian, dashing hopes of release for the graft-tainted former leader.

Chen was given a fresh chance for freedom after the Supreme Court Thursday ordered the high court to hold another hearing on his bail request.

The Supreme Court said in a statement earlier Thursday the reasons given by the high court to continue to hold Chen were insufficient to prove that the ex-president had hidden huge funds abroad, and that he would flee and threaten witnesses if freed.

The high court later started a new hearing in the evening and maintained its previous ruling after deliberating the case until midnight.

“Given the serious sentences he faces, the court feels the defendant is likely to flee,” high court spokesman Wen Yao-yuan said. “As a former president, he would be more capable than others of finding ways to escape abroad.”

On Chen’s lawyers’ argument that Chen would be watched closely by his bodyguards 24 hours a day after he was freed, making it impossible for him to escape, Wen said the judges vetoed such an argument on the grounds that bodyguards assigned to protect any retired presidents are not tasked to alert the judicial authorities for any suspicious movements made by the former leaders they protect.

The latest ruling triggered strong protests by dozens of Chen’s supporters, who demonstrated outside the court building late into the night, shouting “free the ex-president”. They confronted police when trying to charge into the court building, but were later dispersed.

The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party of which Chen was once chairman expressed regret over the latest ruling, saying it seriously violated human rights.

The high court denied Chen’s bail request Sep 24, two weeks after he was sentenced by the Taipei District Court to life in prison for embezzlement, accepting bribes, money laundering, influence peddling and other offences.

The 58-year-old Chen has strongly denied any wrongdoing, saying his trial and guilty conviction were politically motivated by current President Ma Ying-jeou, who wanted to jail him to please Beijing. Chen incurred Chinese wrath during his time in office as he pushed for formal Taiwanese independence.

Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Beijing still considers Taiwan a wayward province that must be brought back to its fold, if necessary by force.