Chen faced more than five hours of questioning on Tuesday in connection with his alleged role in what prosecutors say was a money-laundering scheme. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
TAIPEI - A TAIWANESE lawmaker says former President Chen Shui-bian is being taken to a Taipei hospital and that a court proceeding against him has been suspended.
Downfall of son of Taiwan
TAIPEI - CHEN Shui-bian, the self-styled 'son of Taiwan,' won the hearts of millions eight years ago with pledges to fight corruption and defend the island against China.
But less than six months after standing down as Taiwan's president, the charismatic Chen was arrested on accusations of money laundering, embezzling government funds, taking bribes and forging documents.
Mr Lai Ching-te of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party says the Taipei District Court ordered Chen to be evaluated for a possible injury stemming from a blow to the head he received earlier in the day en route to the court building.
There was no additional information on the circumstances of the injury.
Earlier, raising handcuffs above his head and decrying 'political persecution', former president Chen Shui-bian was taken to court on Tuesday afternoon in connection with a graft and money laundering case which has gripped public attention here in the last three months.
Pending a court's decision by Tuesday night to formally arrest him, he would be the first ex-president to be locked up by police in Taiwan's history.
Thousands of police officers and hundreds of barricades were put in place on Tuesday morning to prevent dozens of Chen supporters from staging a repeat of violent protests which flared up during the visit of top China envoy Chen Yunlin last week.
Chen was arrested at around 4pm after six hours of questioning at the prosecutors' office, for allegedly pocketing special presidential and secret diplomacy funds, accepting bribes, forgery and money laundering.
If he was indeed put behind bars, Taiwan media reported that it meant he would likely be charged in the next few weeks, with his wife expected to be summoned for questioning soon.
But Chen was quick to politicise the arrest, accusing the Kuomintang-led government of political persecution against himself and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). DPP's Yunlin county chief Su Chih-fen and Chiayi county chief Chen Ming-wen were recently arrested on corruption allegations.
In a pre-emptive attack, Chen called a press conference on Monday, flanked by DPP comrades like former vice-president Annette Lu and former premier Chang Chun-hsiung, to predict his likely arrest on Tuesday and to slam the KMT of sacrificing him to appease the anger of China.
Nine people, including his right-hand men Chiou I-jen and Ma Yung-cheng, had earlier been arrested in connection with the case.
Saying sorry for dragging so many into trouble, he said: 'Let me bear Taiwan's cross alone. Don't drag the innocent into it. Tomorrow I'd be imprisoned, not for myself, but for the sake of Taiwan becoming a new and independent country!'
He also drew parallels with his imprisonment back in 1986, saying that it paved the way for the birth of the DPP. He was put behind bars for eight months for a libellous article he wrote in the pro-democracy Formosa magazine.
He claimed his latest arrest would lead to the birth to an independent Taiwan state.
On Tuesday morning, he played the same tune, shouting 'Long live Taiwan independence!', as he crossed the 50m from his office to the special prosecutors' office, accompanied by followers including a few DPP lawmakers.
DPP chairman Tsai Ing-wen, who had been vocal in supporting county chiefs Su and Chen earlier, was conspicuously silent about Mr Chen's arrest.
