GENEVA, Switzerland - Switzerland has returned to Taiwan about 20 million dollars (S$26 million) from deposits held by jailed ex-president Chen Shui-bian, following his corruption conviction, the Swiss attorney general said Tuesday.

"The Attorney General of Switzerland has returned some 20 million Swiss francs (S$26 million) to the Supreme Prosecutors Office of Taiwan," his office said in a statement.

The deposits seized in Swiss banks were "part of the money that was deposited in Switzerland by the former President of the Republic of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, who was recently convicted of corruption in his homeland," it added.