Selasa, 26 Juni 2012

Ex-president's son found guilty of money laundering in retrial

The Taiwan High Court on Friday upheld previous sentences meted out to the son and daughter-in-law of former President Chen Shui-bian in a money laundering case but reduced their fines.

The court found that Chen Chih-chung and Huang Jui-ching had helped Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen launder, hide and transfer abroad funds obtained illicitly, but that they did not benefit financially from those transactions.

It therefore decided to cut the NT$30 million (US$1.03 million) Chen was fined in his most recent trial to NT$4.5 million and slash Huang's fine from NT$20 million to NT$4 million.

The court, however, upheld Chen's 14-month prison sentence and Huang's one-year sentence, but still allowed Huang the option of paying NT$10 million to national coffers to have the one-year sentence commuted to a four-year suspended sentence.

Both Chen and Huang can still appeal the ruling.

The two were first convicted by the Taipei District Court in September 2009 for having engaged in money laundering during Chen Shui-bian's presidency from 2000-2008.

Chen was given a 30-month jail sentence and fined NT$150 million. Huang was also fined NT$150 million and sentenced to 20 months in prison, but she was given the option to pay NT$200 million to commute the jail time to a five-year suspended sentence.

In a second trial, the Taiwan High Court ruled on June 11, 2010 to cut Chen's sentence to 14 months and reduce his fine to NT$30 million.

Huang's fine was cut to NT$20 million, and she was given a one-year sentence that could be commuted to a four-year suspended sentence with a payment of NT$10 million.

The rulings were appealed to Taiwan's Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the Taiwan High Court Nov. 11, 2010 for retrial, resulting in Friday's rulings.

The case has not been Chen Chih-chung's only legal entanglement. In a final verdict rendered by the Supreme Court on Aug. 18, the former president's son was sentenced to three months in jail without probation for committing perjury in a corruption case involving his parents.

The verdict prompted the Executive Yuan to strip him of his seat in the Kaohsiung City Council. Chen has vowed to fight the Executive Yuan's order. 

Source: Focus Taiwan

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