Go Directly To Jail - Taiwan’s Ex President Jailed For Life

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displa...e=features_box1

TAIWAN’S former president, Chen Shui-bian, was sent to prison for life on Friday September 11th after being convicted of various crimes, including embezzlement of government funds, forgery and accepting bribes over a land deal. It is a harsh sentence for the 58-year-old who ruled Taiwan from 2000 to 2008 and who had a feisty reputation for promoting independence from China.

Officials suggest that the punishment, which includes a fine of NT$200m ($6.1m), needed to be severe because of damage inflicted on the country. Mr Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-chen, was also given a life sentence for seven crimes relating to corruption and a fine of NT$300m. The court punished several others, including former aides and the president’s son and daughter-in-law.

The young democracy is now divided between those who are celebrating the fact that even the most powerful are not immune from the legal process and those who see the prosecution, conviction and harsh sentencing of a former president as evidence that the courts are under the sway of politicians.

Mr Chen’s supporters, naturally, claim the latter. His office issued a statement calling the verdict “unconstitutional, illegal and invalid†and claiming that Taiwan’s justice system is unfair. He plans to appeal and his office wants his immediate release from prison. In the streets near the court his noisy supporters let off firecrackers and waved placards, also demanding his freedom. Lines of police stood guard by barbed-wire barricades.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and foreign analysts point to irregularities in the judicial process. Mr Chen himself claims that corruption charges, which were first put to him three years ago, amount to persecution by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) that, he says, is attempting to appease China. Mr Chen upset the KMT by bringing to an end its half-century of rule in Taiwan and by tackling the government bureaucracy which was long accustomed to KMT influence. In his controversial years in office he also provoked China, stoking military tensions and talking of de jure independence for the island.

So has Taiwan jailed him for political purposes or was this guy corrupt?

Although it would be nice to know that if you are corrupt you will be jailed no matter what office you hold.

Certainly life imprisonment for Brown wouldn't be harsh enough.

Edited September 13, 2009 by interestrateripoff

[Guest happy?]

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displa...e=features_box1

So has Taiwan jailed him for political purposes or was this guy corrupt?

Although it would be nice to know that if you are corrupt you will be jailed no matter what office you hold.

Certainly life imprisonment for Brown wouldn't be harsh enough.

Even deeply unpopular leaders don't get jailed in this country - it's what makes us civilised - ask Margaret Thatcher (although the boy Mark came perilously close if I remember correctly).