President Chen Shui-bian (
Also yesterday, President Chen's attorney, Lindy Chen (陳玲玉), sent a letter to the China Times demanding a correction. The lawyer said it is still uncertain when the lawsuit will be officially lodged.
The paper had not made any reaction toward the case as of press time last night.
Chen Shih-meng told a press conference that the accounts concerning the president that ran in the report are "totally groundless."
"[The China Times] never verified [details] with the Presidential Office or [Kaohsiung] Mayor Frank Hsieh (
Chen Shih-meng said the China Times, by publishing such a report, has become "a tool creating rumors in the election campaign" and seriously interferes in politics.
During a campaign trip to Kaohsiung yesterday, first lady Wu Shu-chen (
Wu said it was a tactic to "kill two birds with one stone" by spreading such rumors to attack both her husband and Hsieh.
The controversial report appeared in the midst of allegations made by the KMT legislative caucus over past days that Hsieh accepted an NT$4.5 million check from Su in 1994.
Hsieh was then a legislator and served as Chen Shui-bian's campaign manager.
In a front-page story published yesterday, the paper cited anonymous "reliable sources" as saying that the sum of money was intended as a donation to Chen Shui-bian's mayoral campaign.
According to the report, the check was presented to Hsieh through DPP heavyweight Yu Chen Yueh-ying (
After displaying a copy of a check with Su's chop on it that marked Hsieh as the payee and a copy of Su's bank statement that showed she wired NT$4.5 million to a TaipeiBank account allegedly belonging to Hsieh on Nov. 25, 1994, KMT legislative caucus leaders including Lee Chuan-chiao (
Hsieh yesterday dismissed the KMT allegations as a "well-plotted trap" designed to influence the mayoral campaign and thwart his re-election bid.
"If I have taken any illicit funding, I will withdraw from the race and will quit the mayoralty even after I get elected," Hsieh said at a press conference in Kaohsiung.
Hsieh said the veracity of the bank statement copy displayed by the KMT caucus is doubtful, as he does not know Su and maintains no financial connection with Su.
Hsieh admitted that he had offered Yu Chen loans totaling approximately NT$5 million, and that most of the payments were made by check.
Hsieh, however, said he was not sure if Yu Chen had ever returned him a lump-sum payment for NT$4.5 million.
Hsieh said he reserves the right to take legal action against the KMT legislators.
The China Times said it was considering issuing a statement sometime later yesterday in response to the Presidential Office's accusation. But as of press time, no comment or statement had been released by the press group.
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