After the Supreme Court's conviction of ex-President Chen Shui-bian and his wife last week, the media attention has turned to issues regarding the exact start date of their sentence, and whether former first lady Wu Shu-jen is physically stable enough for a jail term. The Ministry of Justice explained yesterday that it is still making assessments, and no conclusion has been reached so far.

Final verdicts of the Longtan land procurement case and the office-buying scandal have been out.

Former President Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen are sentenced to 11 and 8 years in jail respectively.

However, whether Wu Shu-jen is physically capable of serving jail sentence has become a hot topic for legislators who question Minister of Justice.

According to the Ministry, prosecutors of the supreme prosecutor's office would carry out the duties of taking her to prison.

But the prison facility would have to decide for itself whether it can accommodate such prisoner.

Ministry of Justice admits the facility of Kaohsiung Female Prison is insufficient.

Once Wu enters the facility, she would have to be transferred to the Peiteh hospital in Taichung.

Currently, the more practical option is to release her on heavy bail.

However, Ministry of Justice says it has been exploring all the possibilities, yet without a conclusion.

Whether the couple would be sent to prison before the year-end five municipality elections, both Ministry of Justice and chief prosecutor stressed that they would take the action within one week after they receive the official document.