The result of jailed former President Chen Shui-bian’s request for medical parole will be decided by noon on Monday.
Deputy justice minister Chen Ming-tang guaranteed on Sunday that the decision would be made public around noon on the first workday of the year. A ten-member assessment team headed by Agency of Corrections director Wu Sen-chang will make a final decision.
It was widely expected that the former president could be released on medical parole on New Year’s Eve. But the justice ministry failed to do so, saying that traffic congestion prevented documents from reaching the agency headquarters before the New Year’s holiday began.
Chen Shui-bian was president from 2000 to 2008. He has served more than six years out of a 20-year sentence for corruption, but his health has been rapidly declining over the past few years. A team of doctors has recommended his release on medical parole given his worsening conditions.