Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian was found guilty of corruption today and sentenced to life in prison.
Taipei District Court convicted the two-term president on six charges related to bribery and corruption, closing a fractious, high-profile case that opened nearly three years ago and involved Chen's wife and numerous family members and aides.
He was also fined T$200 million (€4.1 million).
Prosecutors had charged Chen with embezzling T$104 million (€2.2 million) from a special presidential office fund, accepting bribes related to a land procurement deal and taking kickbacks to help a contractor win its bid for a government project.
Chen has said the charges were political, denied wrongdoing and will likely appeal against the verdict, which was not expected to affect Beijing's ties with current Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Nationalist Party (KMT).
"The defendant Chen Shui-bian has been a lawyer, a legislator, he has enjoyed a good reputation and then served as our country's president," the court said in a statement. "He should have been noble, but he served himself, he manipulated his family and those near him, and used his family to make money.”
Several hundred Chen supporters demonstrated near the court. Some threw plastic bottles and scuffled with police in protest after the verdict and sentence were announced.
Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, was convicted on seven counts and also sentenced to life in jail. She was fined T$300 million (€6 million). Chen's son and daughter-in-law were handed sentences ranging from 20 to 30 months for related crimes.
Taiwan has cleaned up much of its corruption over the past 20 years due to efforts to adopt international standards, business leaders say. An active opposition party and unrestricted media also help keep the central government in check.