Taiwan Prosecutors Say President Is Implicated in Corruption Case
Associated Press
November 3, 2006 7:54 a.m.
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Prosecutors in Taiwan said Friday they have enough evidence to indict President Chen Shui-bian on corruption charges in connection with his handling of a secret diplomatic fund, significantly adding to pressures on Mr. Chen to resign.
The announcement by Chang Wen-cheng of the Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office came after a monthslong probe of how the presidential office handled the fund, which is used to sustain Taiwan diplomatic efforts abroad.
Mr. Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, and three former presidential aides were indicted in connection with the handling of the fund on charges of embezzlement, forgery of documents and perjury, Mr. Chang said. He said that between 2002 and 2006, Ms. Wu took possession of 14.8 million New Taiwan dollars (US$450,000) in fund expenses not covered by receipts.
Mr. Chang told reporters that while Mr. Chen wouldn't be indicted now, there was a strong possibility he would be after he leaves office. Under Taiwan law a sitting president cannot be indicted other than on charges of sedition.
Underlining the gravity of the situation, Presidential Office spokesman David Lee said that Vice President Annette Lu had been called to Taipei from a trip to the outlying island of Penghu. Ms. Lu would replace Chen were he to leave office before the end of his term in May 2008. Mr. Lee wouldn't comment on other aspects of the case.
Late Friday, a small party allied with the president said it would support a recall motion against him if it comes up in the island's Legislature. The Taiwan Solidarity Union has 12 seats in the 221-seat body. Its support for a recall move wouldn't be enough to push it over the required two-thirds threshold, but underscores the gravity of Mr. Chen's situation even among his supporters.
Since early this year Mr. Chen has been on the defensive over a number of alleged corruption scandals involving his family and inner circle. He has consistently maintained his innocence.
Opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalist Party called on Mr. Chen to resign without delay. "He has lost the people's trust and respect, and as he is burdened with scandals, he can no longer lead the people nor effectively represent the country," Ma said. "We urge him to resign as soon as possible."
Lawmakers from Mr. Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party said they would meet on Friday evening to discuss the situation. They have so far been steadfast in their support for the embattled president, who has survived two opposition attempts to put the issue of his recall to Taiwan voters, and brushed aside weeks of boisterous street protests by anti-Chen demonstrators.
Mr. Chang said Mr. Chen had met with prosecutors twice to discuss the handling of the fund but that serious discrepancies had emerged in his testimony.
"Chen presented documents about six cases in which secret diplomatic funds were used, but investigation by prosecutors showed that only [the documents for] two cases were accurate," Mr. Chang said.
The probe into the presidential fund began in July, after the Ministry of Audit said irregularities were found in the presidential office's accounting of its expenditures.
Earlier, opposition lawmakers had begun to look into the fund after a Taiwan businesswoman living in Australia accused a close friend of Ms. Wu of acquiring invoices from her company, purportedly for Ms. Wu's personal use.
台检察机关称有足够证据起诉陈水扁
2006年11月03日20:50大 | 中 | 小
台湾检察机关周五表示，他们已有足够证据起诉总统陈水扁在处理一笔秘密外交资金的过程中挪用公款并伪造文件，但要等到陈水扁任期结束时才对其提起正式诉讼。
检察机关早些时候对陈水扁夫人的起诉也与上述秘密资金有关，陈水扁因此在接受相关调查。
台湾高等法院检察署(Public Prosecutors' Office of the Taiwan High Court)的Chang Wen-cheng表示，因涉嫌挪用公款、伪造文件以及做伪证，吴淑珍已被检察机关起诉。
台湾总统的三名前助手也因此被指控，Chang表示，该案涉及一笔台湾外交活动资金的使用。
