Taichung Prison to 'supervise' convicted ex-President Chen's planned speech

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Taichung Prison said it will "enforce supervision" of former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is on medical parole, after he announced plans on Monday to give a public speech in early February.

Taichung Prison, which is operated by the Agency of Corrections under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), said it would handle the matter in accordance with the Regulations Governing Review Criteria for and Management of Prisoners' Out-Of-Prison Medical Treatment on Bail.

Chen said in a post on Facebook that he accepted an invitation from National Tainan First Senior High School's alumni association to speak at an event in Taipei on Feb. 7.

According to the post, the former president will deliver a talk titled "The influence of studying at Tainan First Senior High School on my political career."

The promotional poster for the event states that the final 30 minutes of the speech will be reserved for a question-and-answer session.

Taichung Prison said that although Chen has already reported his itinerary, it will "continue to handle and understand the relevant circumstances" and enforce supervision in line with the regulations.

The former president was sentenced to 20 years in prison for multiple corruption and money-laundering charges following his two terms in office (2000-2008).

He was released on medical parole in 2015 due to declining health.