The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Taipei

A Taiwan court early Tuesday reversed its previous decision and placed former president Chen Shui-bian back in custody pending his trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

A panel of three judges at the Taipei District Court made their decision following a 12-hour hearing, during which Chen and his lawyers battled prosecutors' attempts to return him to custody for further investigation, the TVBS cable news network reported.The judges said in their ruling Chen had to be detained as he could collude with other suspects, destroy evidence and flee the island if released, it said.

One of Chen's lawyers Cheng Wen-lung described the ruling as "unfair" and vowed to appeal.

"The ruling is not a surprise, because apparently it is the result of politics intervening in justice," the lawyer said.

Chen, along with his wife, has been charged with embezzling government funds and fraud as well as money laundering.