Taipei  - Former banker Jeffrey Koo Jr testified Wednesday that his uncle had given the wife of Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian 400 million Taiwan dollars
(11.8 million US dollars) through an associate as a reward for sealing a lucrative land deal.

The uncle, Koo Cheng-yun, and his associate did not name the ex-president as the recipient of the funds when they testified at Chen's trial on corruption charges.

Taipei  - A frail former Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian appeared in a Taiwan court for pretrial hearings on corruption allegations.

Chen, who ended a three-day hunger strike to protest against what he claimed was political persecution and injustice, was brought to court in handcuffs from the Taipei Detention Centre, where he has been jailed since late December.

When asked how he felt, he told Taipei District Court Judge Tsai Shou-hsun that he felt weak and uncomfortable.

Taipei - Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian resumed eating Monday, three days after beginning a hunger strike to protest what he claimed was unfair prosecution on corruption charges, officials said.

Lee Ta-chu, deputy director of the Taipei Detention Centre, said Chen ate porridge and cabbage provided by the prison and food brought by his wife, Wu Shu-chen.

He resumed eating after Wu visited and asked him to preserve his energy for a pretrial hearing set on Tuesday, Lee said.

Taipei - Three relatives of former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian Wednesday pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering, in the latest development of a high-profile corruption scandal implicating the ex-leader.

Chen's son Chen Chih-chung, daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching and brother-in-law Wu Ching-mao all pleaded guilty in a pre-trial hearing over their alleged roles in laundering money abroad on behalf of Chen during his time as president between 2000 and 2008.