Chen Shui-bian corruption charges

[2] On August 14, 2008, shortly after a press conference held by rival party Kuomintang (KMT) legislators announcing the existence of a request for money laundering investigation assistance letter from the Swiss government, the former president called an evening press conference and admitted that his past election campaigns had misstated election finance expenses, and had leftover monies in campaign coffers forwarded to overseas accounts.

Chen stated during the conference, "My conscience has told me that I cannot continue to lie to myself or to others, so I will choose to be bluntly honest: I have, in the past, committed deeds that are against the rule of law, and I am willing, for all campaign finance dishonesty from my four elections for mayor and for president, to apologize to the people".

Former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (1994–96), claimed to have been eating while Chen called his press conference, and threw his chopsticks down in anger upon hearing his confession.

The former first family have affronted Taiwan and the Taiwanese people" [7] Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen, on August 15, resigned from the Democratic Progressive Party and apologized, saying "Today I have to say sorry to all of the DPP members and supporters.

[11] Coast Guard Administration spokesman Hsieh Ching-chin said: "We received the order from the special investigation unit around 9:20 p.m. last night saying former president Chen was barred from leaving the country."

Chen's probe concerns NT$14.8 million (US$480,500) in special expenses from the government, while he was president, and his wife is on trial for corruption and document forgery.

After Liu's resignation took effect, his actions regarding the letter sent by the Federal Department of Justice and Police were found to have shown a "lack of political judgement" and he was duly investigated for dereliction of duty.

[20] Chen Shui-bian called his arrest a "political persecution" by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang government amid and after another senior DPP member -- Chiayi County magistrate Chen Ming-wen's detention on corruption charges: "The government abused the laws and its powers to persecute and humiliate us but the people and the history will return justice to us and prove our innocence.

The Special Investigation Division (SID), in order to indict and convict me, has been taking high-profile actions, locking up members of the former government team one by one.

"[21] Chiou I-jen is the 8th suspect in spin-offs of Chen Shui-bian's money laundering probes under the jurisdiction of the Taipei District Court.

)$30 million, which include Ma Yong-cheng, Chiou I-jen, the ex-vice premier, Yeh Sheng-mao, and Chen's brother-in-law, Wu Ching-mao, inter alia.

Chen was willing to stay in the dark prison cell (Tucheng detention center in Taipei) for the people... to protest the death of justice and the regression of democracy ... he can sacrifice his life for the "Republic of Taiwan" (quotation).

[47][48] On November 16, 2008, Chen collapsed and was rushed to Taipei's Far Eastern Memorial Hospital due to complications and weakness from dehydration caused by six days of malnutrition.

[50][51][52][53][54] Former president Chen Shui-bian was released without bail on December 13, 2008, after being indicted for money laundering and misuse of public funds hours earlier.

Chen reaffirmed his innocence, claiming the US$21 million his wife wired to their son's Swiss bank accounts came from leftover campaign donations.

[58] President Ma Ying-jeou made no comment on the indictment, but Democratic Progressive Party leaders demanded that Chen be released on bail.

"After serving as president for eight years," the appeal said, "Chen Shui-bian knows the national security mechanism full well, and the chances he has to flee the country are greater than ordinary citizens".

[60] The appeal cited several instances where other leaders (such as Alberto Fujimori of Peru, Pavlo Lazarenko of Ukraine, Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand, and Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines) having been indicted, fled their respective countries after they had been charged with corruption and graft.

[60] On December 18, Judge Chou again ruled that Chen be released without bail, albeit the High Court warned of the possibility that he may collaborate or intimidate other defendants, including his relatives and Yu Cheng-hsien, former minister of the interior.

[61] In this second appeal, the prosecution urged the Taiwan High Court to decide to detain or release Chen rather than remit the case to Judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) again.

[61][62] The chances are that the High Court will pass the buck back to Chou,[citation needed] who said in releasing Chen for the second time, he hopes he would not have to hand down the same ruling again.

[63] Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍), who is Chen's defense attorney made his own public declaration: "We do not care for how the Special Investigation Division is conducting itself.

[67] This same day, former President of the Republic of China Lee Teng-hui said that the country's power transfer of 2000 only "provided someone with the opportunity to take bribes and launder money".

In another moment of his speech at the annual meeting of the Chiayi chapter of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association he declared that "what is even more pitiful is that some people continue to support the corrupt politician in defiance of his approaching court trial".

He also had harsh words for the Ma Ying-jeou administration, concerning the management of the 2007–2008 financial crisis,[68] also stating that democracy and the human rights conditions in Taiwan have been back pedaling since the 2008 legislative and presidential Kuomintang victories and the transfer of power.

[69] On December 29, 2008, the former President strongly defended himself again as innocent of all corruption charges at a prolonged hearing held by three judges of Taipei District Court that tried to determine whether to put the former national leader back into custody on the second request of prosecutors.

The former President stressed that he never took bribes concerning the payoff involving the construction of the Nangang Exhibition Hall or the transaction of a land parcel related to an industrial park in Longtan, Taoyuan County.

[71] After considering the case, this same day (30 December), the Court ordered former President Chen Shui-bian returned to jail pending trial on corruption charges, accepting prosecutors' arguments that he be locked up to prevent him fleeing or colluding with alleged coconspirators.

The statement also denounced the new presiding judge, saying his argument for Chen's custody was nothing but a show cooked up for the purpose of sending him back to prison.

[79] The High Court noted in its ruling that Chen's intent to flee is demonstrated by the fact that the former first family has tried to conceal its alleged illicit gains in bank accounts created under the names of other people.