Babel Fish Link
English News link 1
English News link 2
TAIWAN: Chen's lawyer rebuffs 'Next' story
A 'Next' magazine report says Singapore and U.S. officials informed the Money Laundering Prevention Center about irregular money transfers by the former president's daughter-in-law and her family
Taipei Times
Thursday, August 14, 2008
By Ko Shu-Ling
A lawyer for former president Chen Shui-bian yesterday rejected allegations by
Next Magazine that Chen used his daughter-in-law and her family to launder money and had secretly wired NT$300 million (US$9.63 million) abroad.
Calling the allegations "false" and "misleading," attorney Richard Lee said that Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen, had put all their assets into trust since April 2004 and that Wu sold all her stocks in May 2006, adding that the couple annually declared their assets to the Control Yuan.
They never wired money overseas through their daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching or any of her family members, Lee said.
Chen did not understand why prosecutors have spread false information while his "state affairs fund" case is still being investigated, Lee said.
The former president would offer a clear account of the allocation of the discretionary fund in court but would not compromise national secrets, Lee said, adding that Chen hoped the media would refrain from repeating false information.
Chen had used the "state affairs fund" for public purposes only and never pocketed any of the money, Lee said.
The latest edition of
Next claims that prosecutors learned from the Egmont Group, an international association of financial intelligence organizations, that Chen had used Huang and her family members to wire NT$300 million out of the country.
The magazine said Wu closed all her accounts and those of her husband at the end of 2006 and wired the money, along with that of their son Chen Chih-chung and daughter Chen Hsing-yu abroad through Huang and her family.
The amount sent overseas was estimated at NT$300 million,
Next said, adding that the total could exceed NT$1 billion if other "suspicious" capital was accounted for.
Former director of the Presidential Office secretariat Lin Te-hsun confronted former Presidential Office treasurer Chen Cheng-hui about the NT$300 million when he learned of it late last year, the magazine said.
Chen Cheng-hui told Lin that she had not wired the money, so Lin went to Chen Shui-bian but ended up believing that the prosecutors had not made up the allegations, the magazine said.
Next said Singaporean officials had informed the Investigation Bureau's Money Laundering Prevention Center about irregular money transfers in 2006 and the US passed on similar data last year.
Singapore and the US are members of the Egmont Group, and the US was careful about relaying the data because it concerned a head of state,
Next said.
Lin rejected
Next's claims yesterday, saying its report was far from the truth.
Asked for comment, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Wu Yu-sheng urged the former president to publicize details of his family's bank accounts to prove his innocence.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang said he thought the public would choose to believe the allegations because of "the bold way the Chen Shui-bian family handled their wealth."
He did not elaborate.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
Date Posted: 8/14/2008
=====
Bable Fish Transalated:
The blue committee disclosed: The flat daughter-in-law Switzerland account passes in and out the large amount fund also to suffer the auspicious authority to seal up!
<label>
</label> Renewal date: <q>2008/08/14 13:23</q>
political center/comprehensive dispatch
The first first family explodes the overseas money laundering misgivings! Receives the populace to disclose that
Kuomintang lawmaker
Hong Xiuzhu on 14th pointed out that former president
Chen Shuibian wife
Huang Rui dressed up last February to open two overseas accounts in Switzerland, and penetrated the
Singapore Swiss Credit Bank not well-known bank account, changed over to surpasses 20,000,000 dollars, three months later was the cayman islands establishment company in UK, and all changed over to more than 2000 ten thousand dollars, because the amount was too really big, Hong Xiuzhu said that this account already suffered the Swiss Federation Procurator generals office to seal up, and investigated whether to have the money laundering crime suspicion.
Kuomintang lawmaker Hong Xiuzhu: “my present, I am afraid very much, because I reported now with everybody, should be the bingo, I did not know very truly we can have the danger?!”
The national political organization small hot pepper disclosed content, is really very serious! This chapter of she nips former president Chen Shuibian wife Huang Rui to dress up tightly, refers to her to open two private accounts straight in Switzerland, but also penetrates the Singapore Swiss Credit Bank, converges surpasses 20,000,000 dollars, the
dollar about more than 600,000,000.
Kuomintang lawmaker Hong Xiuzhu: “on February 15, 2007, the Singapore Switzerland credit Private bank converges this X1 this bank account dollar more than 2000 ten thousand, in May she wants this family silver trade association she to establish a company, all (20,000,000 dollars) ran entirely (collect) have gone, this company's owners were Huang Rui dress up, attention! Is authorized the agent is
Chen Zhizhong!”
Puts out the Swiss Federation Procurator generals office to request the document which Chen Zhizhong assists to investigate, lawmaker to question, Huang Rui dresses up the Swiss bank account, flows in more than 2000 ten thousand dollars all of a sudden, three months later, Huang Rui dresses up exits again the money to her start cayman islands company, because the short time great resource flow, suffers Switzerland official to lock, in January, Huang Rui dresses up as well as company's all related bank account, all encounters seals up.
Kuomintang lawmaker Hong Xiuzhu: “on these two character suspicion, therefore in this time, (the Swiss official) issues an order to seal up the property at the beginning of this year!”
Stressed that oneself have an official material, but also thought that Taiwan official should obtain the related news early, because the Singapore Switzerland credit is the bank which the Palestinian Niu document 30,000,000 dollars converge, not only in addition the first family first time sets up the company in the cayman islands. Qian Congna comes? Has the money laundering? Wants and adjustment unit to look up clearly well.
