Taiwan courts brace for trial of first lady

TAIPEI, Nov 14 (Reuters) Taiwan's courts are bracing for a marathon trial with possibly hundreds of witnesses and testimony by President Chen Shui-bian when his wife goes on trial for embezzlement and forgery involving T14.8 million dollars.

Taipei District Court judges will hear arguments and examine up to 300 witnesses, including some from overseas, in the case against Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen.

Judges have 16 months to reach a verdict from the time the courts receive the indictment, which is expected as early as this week.

Government prosecutors have said they had enough evidence to charge Chen as well, but did not since he is immune to prosecution while in office.

The case would be a test for fairness and efficiency of a relatively young legal system handed down from Taiwan's former coloniser Japan, a court official and lawyers said.

They expect a fair hearing, but a long one highlighted by a courtroom crowded with activists and reporters interested in seeing the disabled and sharp-tongued first lady take the stand.

''I am confident in the district court judges and think they will take this case more seriously than others,'' said Taipei-based criminal lawyer Daniel Lin.

A court official said that until he reviewed evidence, it would be impossible to estimate the length of a trial.

The district court can accelerate the trial if judges sense public demand for a rapid ruling.

''It could be a year or more, but in high-profile cases, it tends to go faster,'' said John Eastwood, a Taipei-based lawyer with law firm Wenger&Vieli.

Opposition parties want Chen to resign immediately, but they have failed to unseat him in two attempts in parliament.

Chen has said he would step down before his term ends if his wife was found guilty.

Juries do not exist, and three district court judges will be chosen at random to hear the case.

Judges must allow text journalists into the courtroom but bar cameras. They seldom make court records public during trial.

Prosecutors normally recommend sentencing in a case at the end of the trial.

The first lady's case could take an additional half year, exceeding Chen's term expiration in May 2008, if it goes to the high court on appeal. The supreme court could hear an appeal of the high court ruling but is not obliged to do so.

REUTERS BDP HS1410