Former President Chen Shui-bian, who last month was granted medical furlough for a period of one month, has now received a three-month extension. The justice ministry’s decision on Wednesday means that Chen will be able to spend the Lunar New Year holiday at home.
At the end of January, prison officials visited Chen and reviewed an assessment conducted by his medical team. Later, the officials submitted a report to the justice ministry saying that the former president’s health had not improved since his release and that his furlough period should be extended.
The former president, who was in office between 2000 and 2008, has served more than six years of a 20-year sentence for corruption.
Doctors say Chen’s health had declined over the past few years, with the former president suffering from loss of motor control and incontinence, among other problems.