A court in Taipei on Thursday sentenced former intelligence head Yeh Sheng-mao to 10 years imprisonment for his involvement in the corruption case of Taiwan's former leader Chen Shui-bian.

Yeh, former director-general of the bureau of investigation under Taiwan's "justice ministry", was accused of helping Chen allegedly cover up the latter's embezzlement of huge amounts of public money.

The ex-intelligence chief had disregarded his duties by providing Chen with classified information and documents on the latter's money laundering, according to the court. Yeh's malfeasant deeds had seriously damaged the reputation of judicial departments, it said.

It further accused Yeh for lacking sincerity as he had changed his confessions several times, which indicated that the former intelligence head had never been regretful for his misconduct.

Yeh was arrested on October 6 to become Taiwan's first intelligence chief who had been put under custody.

Yeh was chief of the bureau of investigation between August 2001 and July 2008. The bureau is mainly responsible for collecting information and detecting severe crimes like embezzlement, drug, and money laundering.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2008)