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Taiwan ex-leader jailed for life Taiwan ex-leader jailed for life
(10 minutes later)
Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Taipei.Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Taipei.
Prosecutors had charged Mr Chen with embezzlement, taking bribes and money laundering worth nearly $15m (£9m) while in office from 2000-2008. Mr Chen was charged with embezzlement, taking bribes and money laundering, involving a total of $15m (£9m) while in office from 2000-2008.
Mr Chen had denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.Mr Chen had denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.
Mr Chen's family were caught up in the case. His wife, Wu Shu-chen, was convicted of perjury on 2 September. His wife, Wu Shu-chen, already jailed for perjury in the case, was also sentenced to life for corruption.
The two were accused of embezzling $3.15m (£1.9m) from a special presidential fund and laundering it through Swiss banks.
They were also accused of accepting at least $9m in bribes from a Taiwanese company to help it sell a piece of land to the government and of accepting nearly $3m more in kickbacks for helping a contractor gain a government project.
Mrs Wu had been sentenced on 2 September to one year in prison for perjury for asking her children to lie in court.
Nine other accused, including Mr Chen's son and daughter-in-law, have pleaded guilty to some charges related to the case.
The case gripped the nation, correspondents say, with many expecting a guilty verdict but some believing it was political revenge on the part of the new ruling party.
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