All members of ex-first family indicted again
ROC Central News Agency
2009/12/24 18:54:12
Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) Former President Chen Shui-bian and his three immediate family members were indicted again Thursday, along with 19 other people, on charges of corruption and money laundering --crimes that prosecutors said were carried out by manipulating financial reforms introduced by the Chen administration.
In a third round of indictments, the Special Investigation Division under the Supreme Prosecutors Office charged Chen, his wife Wu Shu-jen, their daughter Chen Hsing-yu and son Chen Chih-chung again with bribery, money laundering and forgery.
According to the indictment, the first couple took bribes amounting to NT$610 million (US$18.89 million) from the Cathay and Yuanta financial groups to facilitate the groups' acquisition of other Taiwanese banks to form new financial holdings companies.
Other relatives and friends of Chen on the latest indictment list were Chen Chih-chung's wife Huang Jui-ching; Wu Shu-jen's elder brother Wu Ching-mao; Wu Ching-mao's wife Chen Chun-ying; Chen Shui-bian's former adviser Wu Li-pei; Ma Yung-cheng, a top presidential aide during the Chen administration; and Yuanta Group founder Rudy Ma.
They were indicted on money laundering charges for helping Chen Shui-bian and his wife to "hide and move money" within Taiwan and to transfer NT$740 million to Swiss banks, prosecutors said.
Hou Hsi-feng, former chairman of Kuo Yang Construction, and Lu Yung-tai, chairman of Kao Hsing Chang Iron and Steel, were indicted on similar charges for helping the ex-first couple to purchase a luxury apartment in Taipei City, according to the prosecutors.
The indictment stated that Jeffrey Koo Jr., former vice chairman of Chinatrust Financial Holding Co., was charged with crimes related to manipulating the financial reforms that were conducted during the Chen administration.
In the first round of trials last year, the Taipei District Court sentenced Chen and his wife to life imprisonment, while 10 other people were given prison terms ranging from three months to 20 years.
In the second round of indictments in September this year, prosecutors charged former Vice Premier Chiou I-jen and former Foreign Minister Michael Ying-mao Kao for colluding with Chen to embezzle funds under the guise of "secret diplomacy spending." Chen has been detained at the Taipei Detention Center since Dec.
30, 2008 on charges of embezzlement, bribery, money laundering and forgery.
(By Lin Chung-sen, Ann Chi-shen, Lai Yu-chia and Deborah Kuo) ENDITEM /pc
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