The Taipei District Court has said that there are “enough facts to believe there was buried evidence, fabrication, altered evidence and conspiracy among suspects or witnesses," writes Reuters.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Chen embezzled “T$14.8m ($450,000, €359,000, £292,000) from the government,” writes the Financial Times. Asia Times adds that: “Investigators also suspect the former first family of money laundering - transferring millions of US dollars to overseas bank accounts. His wife, son, daughter-in-law and brother-in-law have been named as defendants in the money laundering case.”

In response to the allegations, “Mr. Chen has suggested that prosecutors are focusing on him to win favor from Beijing,” reports The New York Times.

Corruption allegations, recalls Associated Press, “seriously undermined Chen's authority during his last two years in office, and provoked mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.” According to Asia Times, “Chen is the first former or incumbent Taiwanese president to be detained.” However, the same article notes that he is not the “first to be accused of misusing special discretionary funds set aside for political office holders. Current President Ma Ying-jeou was charged with embezzlement, but acquitted before being elected in March.”

Reuters warns that Chen's arrest could “stoke political tensions” in Taiwan.