Taiwan's high court is to continue the trial of the island's former leader Chen Shui-bian, charged with corruption, on Feb. 26 by summoning the last two witnesses, Ma Yung-cheng and Lin Teh-hsiun, both former officials in Chen's office.

The court said Sunday that hearings would be held after the end of Spring Festival so as to conclude Chen's case as soon as possible.

Chen Shui-bian and his wife were both sentenced to life imprisonment by the Taipei District Court in September last year for corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and other abuses when he was in power from 2000 to 2008.

Chen and Wu appealed their sentences at Taiwan's high court.

The court said the focus of the present trial was on the embezzlement of public funds.

Chen and his wife were found to have embezzled 104 million New Taiwan dollars (3.15 million U.S. dollars) in public funds by the Taipei District Court.

Taiwan's high court ordered on Feb. 8 that Chen Shui-bian be held in custody for a further two months from Feb. 24, rejecting his request to be with his wife and mother.

Procurators said Chen's detention was extended because the case had entered a substantive period of hearing and a series of complicated details needed "sorting out."