Taiwan court upholds detention ruling against ex-president (Roundup)

Taipei - The Taiwan High Court on Wednesday maintained a lower court ruling on keeping ex-president Chen Shui-bian, who is facing graft charges, detained. The court made the ruling after Chen's lawyer appealed the Taipei District Court's December 29 decision to put Chen back into custody, two weeks after he was released from a month-long detention. 'Chen has committed serious crimes including money laundering, and 570 million dollars of his illegally-obtained funds have not been seized (by the court) yet,' high court spokesman Wen Yao-yuan said. 'Besides, although Chen is assigned bodyguards, he twice moved around without his bodyguards last year, so there is the danger of his fleeing Taiwan,' he said. Therefore the High Court ruled that Chen's appeal was unreasonable and rejected it, he said. Chen's lawyer cannot file another appeal, Wen added. Chen's trial will begin at the Taipei District Court on January 19. Chen, 57, president from 2000 to May 2008, was detained at the Taipei Penitentiary on November 12, on a series of corruption allegations. On December 12, he was charged with embezzling government funds, money laundering and taking bribes, but was freed without bail the next day by the Taipei District Court, triggering a public outcry as many people feared that Chen could conspire with others to destroy evidence of his alleged crimes and could intimidate witnesses. Prosecutors probing Chen's case appealed against his release, and called on the High Court when the district court first upheld its ruling. The district court was ordered to review its previous ruling. The district court ruled on December 29 that Chen should be re-detained to prevent him from destroying evidence of his crimes and fleeing abroad. Prosecutors have called for the 'severest punishment' for Chen, which is interpreted by legal analysts as asking for a life sentence.