Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In the latest development in the high-profile scandal involving the former president Chen Shuibian, the former first lady, Wu Shu-chen, asked him to plead guilty , so that his children, who too have been accused of committing serious crimes, would not have to pay the price.
Chiang Chih-ming, Chen's former chief secretary, confirmed yesterday that Wu had sent a letter in June to her husband, detained since December, blaming him for the serious criminal charges against their children.
Chen and his wife were charged with embezzling NT$104 million (around 2,24 million Euros) in special state funds for personal use, accepting NT$400 million (8,6 million Euros) in bribes in exchange of political favours and laundering more than 27 million Euros in funds abroad. Chen has denied all charges, saying that he is a victim of a political conspiracy resulting from his pro-independence stance, that is detested by Beijing.
But his wife has pleaded guilty to money laundering and accepting NT$200 million, which she insisted were political contributions and not bribes.
Their son, Chen Chih-chung, and daughter-in-law, Huang Jui-ching, have admitted to the criminal charges of money laundering.
In June, the ex-president's daughter, Chen Hsin-yu, was charged with perjury. She pleaded guilty, saying she did so to protect her parents. Despite their pleas, Taipei District Court has refused to lift orders barring them from leaving Taiwan. During a recent visit in prison, Chen's daughter asked him for help in reinstating her study plans.
The court could hand down its verdict on Chen in September.
