The Taipei district court will hold a new hearing today to decide if Chen should be taken back into custody. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S High Court yesterday overruled a decision to release former president Chen Shui-bian pending his trial on corruption charges after prosecutors warned he may flee the island.
The decision by the lower Taipei district court 'is a violation of justice', said High Court spokesman Wen Yao-yuan.
'The district court's ruling disregarded the evidence provided by the prosecutors who warn the defendant could collude with the other suspects and flee' Taiwan, he told reporters.
The Taipei district court will hold a new hearing today to decide if Chen should be taken back into custody.
Chen, 58, was detained last month and charged this month with embezzling government funds and laundering money. On Dec 13, the Taipei district court approved his release without bail pending trial. Since then, state prosecutors have attempted to get him back into custody.
The High Court endorsed their appeal on Dec 17 and ordered the district court to reconsider its decision, but the lower court stuck to its guns.
The former president may face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Chen's arrest sparked heated debates in Taiwan on how to proceed with effective criminal prosecution without compromising human rights.
Many legal experts question if Taiwanese laws are outdated in permitting pre-indictment detentions. But prosecutors say placing Chen in custody is necessary because he may use his influence to get former associates not to testify against him.
