紐約時報
〝Taiwanese President and Wife Are Accused of Corruption
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By JOSEPH KAHN
Published: November 4, 2006
BEIJING, Nov. 3 ?Taiwanese prosecutors said Friday that they had enough evidence to bring corruption charges against President Chen Shui-bian, a development that is likely to increase pressure on the independence-leaning Taiwanese leader to resign.
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President Chen Shui-bian and his wife, Wu Shu-chen, in January.
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Wally Santana/Associated Press
Protesters at a rally against President Chen Shui-bian Friday.
Also on Friday, prosecutors indicted Mr. Chen旧 wife and two former aides on charges of misusing money from a secret diplomatic fund under Mr. Chen旧 control. They said Mr. Chen might face formal charges when he no longer enjoys presidential immunity.
The cascade of charges seems likely to deepen the political turmoil that has gripped Taiwan for months and bolster calls for Mr. Chen to step down before the end of his second term in 2008.
Mr. Chen made no immediate comment on Friday旧 indictments, but he has steadfastly maintained his innocence.
He consulted with leaders of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on Friday evening. So far he has managed to rally the party faithful to stand by him.
David Lee, a spokesman for the presidential office, said after the charges were announced that Vice President Annette Lu had been recalled to Taipei from a trip to the outlying island of Penghu. Ms. Lu would replace Mr. Chen as president if he resigned.
Mr. Chen, who twice won elections advocating steps toward formal independence from mainland China, has fought off two legislative efforts to remove him from office. He has characterized the corruption investigation as a politically motivated attack on his policies.
But a relatively weak economy, a stalemate in relations with Beijing and the graft scandals have pushed his popularity ratings well below 20 percent in most polls and hobbled his efforts to pass legislation.
To help revive enthusiasm among his core supporters, many of whom favor legalizing Taiwan旧 de facto independence, Mr. Chen vowed earlier this week to write a new constitution that would reinforce his vision of Taiwan旧 separate identity.
Any such move would almost certainly provoke a sharp reaction from China, which refuses to rule out military action to prevent steps toward formal independence. But Chinese leaders have taken a low-key approach to Taiwan recently, as Mr. Chen struggles to remain in office and battles a legislature controlled by the opposition Nationalist Party.
The Public Prosecutor旧 Office of Taiwan旧 High Court formally indicted Mr. Chen旧 wife, Wu Shu-chen, on charges of issuing fake receipts to extract about $450,000 from a fund that the president controls to support Taiwan旧 diplomatic initiatives overseas.
Ms. Wu is accused of using state funds for a variety of personal expenditures, including diamond rings and other luxury items for her children and grandchildren.
Two former aides, Ma Yung-cheng and Lin Teh-shun, and the president旧 accountant, Chen Chen-hui, were also indicted on related corruption and perjury charges.
Chang Wen-cheng, the spokesman for the High Court旧 prosecution team who announced the indictment in a press conference Friday afternoon, said that President Chen was suspected of graft and forgery, but that he could not be indicted while in office. Mr. Chang suggested it was likely that charges would be pressed when Mr. Chen left the presidency.
Ma Ying-jeou, the Nationalist Party leader and mayor of Taipei who is likely to run for president in 2008, called on Mr. Chen to resign immediately.
浅e has lost the people旧 trust and respect, and he is burdened with scandals,?Mr. Ma said. 浅e can no longer lead the people nor effectively represent the country.?/p>
Lawmakers from Mr. Chen旧 party have stood by him despite large-scale street protests and opposition attempts to unseat him. Some ruling party members have argued that they may have a better chance of retaining the presidency in the 2008 elections if Mr. Chen steps aside. But Mr. Chen is still viewed as unlikely to leave office voluntarily.
The charges are the most recent in a series of investigations into the affairs of Mr. Chen, his family and his inner circle. This summer, prosecutors charged the president旧 son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming, with insider trading. Mr. Chao has denied wrongdoing.
Prosecutors also investigated accusations that Ms. Wu might have obtained large numbers of gift certificates from a department store chain that was seeking government permission for a change of ownership. They subsequently announced that they did not have enough evidence to indict her.
Mr. Chang, the prosecution spokesman, said investigators had met with President Chen twice to discuss the handling of a diplomatic fund that the island旧 leadership can use to advance Taiwan旧 interests overseas. They pressed him to account for expenditures from the fund, but rejected the documentation he had submitted as forged.
静hen presented documents about six cases in which secret diplomatic funds were used, but the investigation by prosecutors showed that only the documents for two cases were accurate,?Mr. Chang said.
The investigation began in July, after the Ministry of Audit said irregularities had been found in the presidential office旧 accounting of its expenditures.
※From：
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/world/asia/04taiwan.html?_r=1&ref=asia&oref=slogin
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華盛頓時報
Taiwan scandal a threat to Chen
By William Foreman
ASSOCIATED PRESS November 4, 2006
Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian gives a speech during the commissioning of two new U.S.-made destroyers last Thursday in Suao, northeast Taiwan. (AP)
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TAIPEI, Taiwan -- President Chen Shui-bian suffered the biggest blow of his presidency yesterday when prosecutors indicted his wife in connection with corruption and said they have enough evidence to charge him, too -- an announcement that could quickly end his fragile leadership.
The news sent thousands of anti-government demonstrators into the streets of the island’s capital, and the main opposition party said it would begin a new recall drive if Mr. Chen doesn’t resign by Monday.
Underlining the gravity of the situation, Presidential Office spokesman David Lee said Vice President Annette Lu, who would replace Mr. Chen if he leaves office before the end of his term, had been called back to Taipei from a trip to the island of Penghu.
Chang Wen-cheng of the Taiwan High Prosecutor’s Office -- who announced that first lady Wu Shu-chen and three aides were indicted on embezzlement, forgery and perjury charges -- said there is a strong possibility that Mr. Chen also will be indicted after he leaves office.
Under Taiwanese law, a sitting president cannot be indicted other than on charges of sedition. Mr. Chen, who didn’t comment on the indictments, has said he would step down if there is evidence of wrongdoing.
If Mr. Chen quits with two years left in his second term, his outspoken and unpredictable vice president, Ms. Lu, would likely take power. That could raise tensions with rival China, which reviles Ms. Lu and has called her ”insane” and ”scum of the nation.”
A civil war split China and Taiwan in 1949, and Beijing insists the Taiwanese must eventually unify with the mainland -- a notion the staunchly pro-independence Ms. Lu rejects. China has warned it will attack the Taiwanese if they stall too long on unification.
Mr. Chen’s nemesis, Nationalist Party leader Ma Ying-jeou, demanded that he resign immediately.
”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,” Mr. Ma said.
Mr. Ma said the Nationalists, the biggest opposition party, will begin a recall drive against Mr. Chen if the president does not resign by Monday.
Moreover, Mr. Chen’s support base showed signs of crumbling yesterday.
Leaders of his Democratic Progressive Party huddled late last night to discuss the charges. The meeting broke up with party officials insisting that Mr. Chen explain the charges within three days.
※From：
http://www.washtimes.com/world/20061103-111856-6442r.htm
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美聯社
Nov 4, 7:34 AM EST
〝Taiwan President Pressured to Resign 〞
By WILLIAM FOREMAN
Associated Press Writer
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- She was key to her husband’s rise in Taiwan’s politics. Now she may be the cause of his downfall.
President Chen Shui-bian faces mounting pressure to resign after his wife was indicted on corruption charges Friday. First lady Wu Shu-chen is accused of dipping into a special fund for diplomacy, and prosecutors say Chen could also be implicated, though he cannot be indicted as a sitting president.
Wu and Chen, who have been married since 1975, campaigned together in the 1980s during the final years of Taiwan’s brutal martial law era. Chen had left his comfortable career as a maritime lawyer to enter Taiwan’s knuckle-busting political world, initially defending pro-democracy dissidents.
Wu helped her lawyerly husband stand out among the pack of fiery young opposition politicians jostling for leadership roles as Taiwan evolved into a democracy.
At street rallies, Chen would roll his wheelchair-bound wife out on the stage and tell the crowd she was crippled by the authoritarian Nationalist Party that had ruled the island since its split from rival China amid civil war in 1949.
Wu, a 54-year-old with an impish, diamond-shaped face, has been paralyzed from the waist down since a truck hit her after a county-level election that Chen lost in 1985, two years before the end of the martial law era. The driver said it was an accident and wasn’t charged. But Chen called it an assassination attempt, noting that the truck ran over his wife three times.
The couple raised two children during Chen’s rise to legislator and then mayor of Taipei in 1994 - one of the island’s most powerful political positions. It was a spectacular climb for the son of an illiterate mother and a dirt-poor father who worked in the sugarcane fields and factories of southern Taiwan.
When he campaigned for a second term as Taipei mayor in 1998, Chen was the target of a smear campaign that alleged he was joining sex tours in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau because he was unsatisfied with his disabled wife.
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The media-shy Wu defended her husband in a speech, saying the couple had a healthy sex life.
Chen lost that race and was widely dismissed as washed up. But he made a remarkable comeback with his upset presidential election victory in 2000, which snapped the Nationalist Party’s five-decade grip on the top office.
Again, Wu was instrumental. During the campaign, a poignant TV ad showed the workaholic candidate carrying his frail wife. A voiceover by Chen explained he often has to help his wife go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
The ad helped humanize and soften Chen’s image as stiff, robotic and socially awkward.
What the 55-year-old Chen lacks in personality, he makes up for in ambition and energy.
He rarely takes holidays and is a tireless campaigner, at best when using his raspy voice in rousing speeches at the massive rallies his Democratic Progressive Party is brilliant at organizing.
He won the presidency partly by promising to crack down on ”black gold” - Taiwanese slang for corruption and money politics. He had some early success with high-profile convictions, some even including members of his party.
But legislative gridlock blocked many of his initiatives. The hotheaded, inexperienced president would sometimes provoke the opposition or flip-flop on issues, making it hard for him to win his opponents’ trust.
Chen also struggled to engineer a breakthrough in relations with China, whose communist leaders insist Taiwan must eventually unify with the mainland or face attack.
At times, Chen seemed pragmatic and ready to negotiate with Beijing. At others, he pushed pro-independence policies that riled China.
Wu started becoming a liability for her husband when he ran for re-election in 2004. The pro-opposition media began painting a picture of her as a greedy money-grabber, sometimes seen with her wispy, white Maltese dog ”Honey” on her lap.
There were stories about her jade earrings, luxury watches and shopping trips. There were also rumors she thrived in the stock market, benefiting from insider information.
Chen, who narrowly won the 2004 presidential vote, insists his wife did nothing wrong, but acknowledges that she should stay out of the market.
Few really know the dynamics of Chen’s marriage, but many believe Wu controls the family finances and is obsessed with saving money for their post-presidency life.
In the past year, opposition politicians have accused Wu of receiving free vouchers from Taipei’s upscale Sogo department store. They have also accused her of receiving up to $3.1 million from unidentified business executives seeking favors.
The president has said she’s innocent, and investigators cleared her in the department store scandal.
But Friday, prosecutors indicted Wu for allegedly taking $450,000 from a fund for special diplomatic projects between 2002 and 2006. Prosecutors said there was also evidence against Chen, who as a sitting president can only be indicted for sedition.
Chen has said he will discuss the case in the next two days, and this time it’s doubtful his wife will share the stage.
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※From：
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TAIWAN_FIRST_COUPLE_CRISIS?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-11-04-07-34-48
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台灣高等法院檢察署新聞稿
95年11月3日
國務機要費乙案，本署查緝黑金行動中心（查黑中心）特偵組檢察官於民國95年6月29日分案後即協同台北地檢署檢察官指揮法務部調查局台北市調查處縝密偵查，至今已偵查終結，分別依共同貪污（利用職務上機會詐取財物）、偽造文書及偽證罪嫌對吳淑珍夫人、前後任總統辦公室主任馬永成與林德訓、總統府第三局出納陳鎮慧等四人提起公訴，另依偽證罪嫌對前總統府機要室主任曾天賜及杏林製藥負責人種村碧君（李碧君）二人予以緩起訴處分。
本案歷經四月偵查，偵訊嫌犯及證人達276人次，其間分別於95年8月7日與10月27日就訊陳水扁總統二次；8月20日偵訊吳淑珍夫人一次，並積極逐一查明扣案之國務機要費支出憑證中每張發票之真正消費者身分，最後認定吳淑珍夫人涉嫌自91年7月間起至95年3月間止，以他人付款消費之發票（他人發票）詐領國務機要費中之「非機密費」新台幣一千四百八十萬零四百零八元。偵查過程中，曾天賜、種村碧君、林德訓、陳鎮慧等人為了減少吳淑珍夫人所提出發票之數額，於檢察官偵訊時虛偽陳稱扣案之發票中有九百萬元許係由曾天賜提出，其發票則來自替陳水扁總統從事秘密外交工作之「甲君」，其中領得之六百萬元已交予「甲君」，另三百二十萬元奉陳總統之命支付另一件秘密外交工作云云。惟至95年10月31日偵訊時，其四人在檢察官揭示部分證據後均已坦承偽證犯行，至此本案真相已獲查明，承辦檢察官認已無再行偵查之必要，即依法偵結並於今日提起公訴。
本案國務機要費發票中，足以證明係由吳淑珍夫人提出者共計二千六百七十五萬八千四百五十二元。惟陳水扁總統於第一次應訊時提出三件秘密外交工作用以解釋國務機要費發票中出現他人發票之原因，至第二次應訊時又提出另外之三件秘密外交工作。嗣經承辦檢察官偵查結果，認定該六件秘密外交工作僅有二件是真實存在且其花費係來自國務機要費，另有一件是純屬虛構（即前述「甲君」案），其餘三件縱然屬實，其花費亦與國務機要費之「非機密費」無關。故除與該件真實外交工作（給付費用給某外國公關公司及資助海外民運人士）有關之發票（三家百貨公司禮券發票計一千一百九十五萬零四十四元）外，其餘均應列入貪污所得，此部分起訴之被告為吳淑珍夫人一人。至於三家百貨公司禮券發票部分，因欠缺不法所有之意圖，應僅成立偽造文書罪，此部分起訴之被告為吳淑珍夫人、馬永成與林德訓三人。另依偽證罪起訴者，有林德訓與陳鎮慧二人。
本署與台北地檢署對本案之偵查，自始即以「證據」為中心，絕無任何政治考量，其間亦無任何外來干預，尤其陳水扁總統始終尊重司法，總統府所有相關人員亦均充分配合調查。另本件在追查發票消費者與禮券使用過程中，傳訊多人並多方進行查訪，廣大民眾、商家、行庫及政府各相關單位均受叨擾，惟所有人員均盡力協助承辦檢察官及檢察事務官查明真相，對此本署甚為感念，謹此向社會大眾道謝對司法之支持。
台灣高等法院檢察署
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