By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
The office of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year jail sentence for corruption, said yesterday that it regretted to learn of Taipei Prison’s rejection of Chen’s request for a transfer to another prison after his return to the jail following medical treatment on Tuesday.
The prison rejected Chen’s request despite his meeting all the legal requirements for a transfer, the office said in a statement.
An inmate can request a transfer if his spouse is handicapped or his mother is more than 65 years old — both of which apply in Chen’s case, the office said.
Chen requested a transfer from Taipei Prison to Tainan Prison, which is closer to his 85-year-old mother’s residence in Greater Tainan and former first lady Wu Shu-jen’s (吳淑珍) residence in Greater Kaohsiung.
Chen’s office cited the example of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) and said the prison should be able to grant a transfer with an administrative order, even though Chen would still have to return to Taipei to stand trial in other cases.
Chen, who was granted a temporary release from prison on Tuesday last week for a seven-day medical checkup at Taoyuan General Hospital, should have been allowed an extended stay at the hospital, the office said.
The former president was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome and underwent a cardiac catheterization on Thursday last week.
However, the office said Chen’s medical treatment remained “incomplete” as his health was deteriorating, and he was still suffering from headaches and chest pain after returning to prison.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said yesterday the party was concerned about Chen’s health and he urged the Ministry of Justice to respect Chen’s right to healthcare and to provide him with the required medical treatment.