On September 11, 2009, Chen Shui-bian became the first former national leader to ever be convicted of a criminal case.
Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen, were found guilty of illegally receiving at least US$9 million in connection with a government land deal, laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts, and forging documents. Wu was sentenced to 19 years in prison, while Chen was given a sentence of 20 years. Chen is currently serving his term, while Wu's has been postponed indefinitely because of her poor health.
The two were also charged, but not convicted, of embezzling more than US$3 million from a special state fund. Chen has admitted using false receipts to claim money from the state, but insisted those funds were used for "secret diplomatic missions", not his personal benefit.
Despite the guilty verdict, many supporters of Chen have claimed his arrest was a political vendetta carried out by Taiwan's ruling party, the Kuomintang. Chen is the first Taiwanese president to not belong to that party.
The current president, Ma Ying-jeou and senior Justice Ministry officials have repeatedly rejected charges of unfairness. They say that Chen's prosecution validates the democratic principle that no man -- regardless of his rank -- is above the law in Taiwan.