Taipei - Taiwan prosecutors on Tuesday requested that former president Chen Shui-bian be detained over corruption allegations, a spokesman said.

"We have asked that the suspect be detained under the concern that if freed, he might tamper evidence over his role in alleged embezzlement and bribe taking," said prosecutor Chen Yun-nan, spokesman of the Special Investigation Task Force under Supreme Prosecutor's Office.

The pro-independence Chen became the first retired president in Taiwan to be handcuffed and taken to the Taipei District Court, where a panel of judges was to debate within the next two hours over whether to place him under custody.

Insisting that he is innocent, Chen raised both hands showing a pair of handcuffs and shouting "political persecution, judicial persecution and Taiwan, go, go, go," as he was escorted to a police van taking him to the court house.

Shouting "injustice," and "political persecution" despite drizzle, a dozen of his supporters were kept yards away from Chen by barbed wire barricades, while several of his opponents on the other side of the barricades clapped their hands shouting "long live Taiwan judiciary."

Elsewhere in Taiwan, some of Chen's opponents lighted firecrackers to show their delight over the possible detention of the ex-president.

A highly controversial politician, Chen has been faulted for creating a deep political divide in Taiwan during his time as president, splitting the public into pro-independence and China-conciliatory groups.

Judicial officials said the task force made the detention request after questioning Chen for seven hours over his alleged embezzlement of 14.8 million Taiwan dollars
(480,500 US) in secret diplomatic funds during his 2000-2008 tenure, a crime of which his wife, Wu Shu-chen, has been charged and is being tried.

They said Chen was also suspected of allegedly accepting bribes from local businessmen and laundering at least 21 million US dollars in funds abroad. Chen has said without his knowledge, his wife wired the funds abroad, but those funds were merely left over from previous election campaign donations.

Before being questioned earlier, Chen told reporters he knew he would be detained because the current government of China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou and Beijing authorities "see me as their number one enemy as I am the biggest rock blocking their way to reunification."

Without saying a word about the allegations, he accused Ma of trying to put him in prison "as a sacrifice to appease China."

"I am very honoured and proud to play such a role," he stressed.

Ma has adopted a policy to engage China since he took office in May. The engagement has resulted in the two sides - rivals since they split at the end of a civil war in 1949
- resuming talks in June in Beijing, which was followed by a second round last week in Taipei.

The pro-independence camp has suspected the reconciliation between Ma of the China-friendly Nationalist Party or Kuomintang and Beijing could lead to eventual unification of the two sides in the future. (dpa)