TAIPEI: Taiwan’s former president Chen Shui-bian today said the life sentence he was handed by a court was “invalid” and reiterated claims that his case was politically motivated. “The trial is a violation of the constitution and the law,” he said in a statement issued by his office. “The ruling is therefore invalid.” Chen claimed that the presiding judge, Tsai Shou-hsun, had no legitimacy because he was brought in mid-case. Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949, but Beijing still considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to take it back, by force if necessary. Chen was convicted on Friday by the Taipei District Court for taking bribes, embezzling state funds and forging documents at the climax of a court drama that gripped the island’s 23-million population for months.