The Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office yesterday said that President Chen Shui-bian (
Chang Wen-cheng (張文政), spokesman for the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office, confirmed yesterday that the president was interrogated on Aug. 7 at the Presidential Office and Wu was questioned on Aug. 20 at the official Yushan Residence (玉山官邸) .
"[Chen and Wu] were not accompanied by their lawyers, although we clearly told them they had the right to do so," Chang said at a press conference yesterday morning.
Prosecutors also informed the couple that the case under investigation "will very likely become one in which suspects could be charged with forgery or graft," and asked the two if they would like to have their lawyers with them. However, both parties replied that they saw "no need" to call their lawyers, he said.
Chang stressed that both the president and the first lady remain "legal parties" in the case and have not been enlisted as defendants, and that the prosecutors were obligated, in compliance with Article 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (刑事訴訟法), to tell any individual being questioned that he or she has the right to call a lawyer if there is a chance that the person might become a defendant in the case.
Chang said he could not confirm whether prosecutors would summon the president and the first lady again in the near future because of a gag order.
Both Chen and Wu clearly answered every question posed by the prosecutors, Chang said, adding that the president also provided some evidence in his defense.
Prosecutors will review and investigate the evidence provided by the president, Chang said.
The Presidential Office also confirmed that the president and his wife were questioned by prosecutors but dismissed the allegation that they refused to cooperate.
"We have submitted to prosecutors all the original receipts of the president's special allowance fund dating back to May 2000," Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said.
Lee said the president had made it clear on July 31 that he would be happy to personally explain his special allowance fund to prosecutors and investigators in a bid to help establish the truth.
When asked why they did not disclose the couple's meetings with prosecutors earlier, Lee said they were not in a position to offer details of a legal case and that the media should ask prosecutors for comment on the matter.
The Presidential Office issued a statement at 12:13am yesterday, telling the media that Chen did explain the matter to prosecutors at the Presidential Office on Aug. 7.
"The president stressed that he never pocketed the funds and that he respects the judicial investigation and will offer his full cooperation," the statement said.
The statement was made in response to a report published in Tuesday's edition of the Chinese-language China Times claiming that the investigation into the allowance fund hit a snag as the Presidential Office refused to provide receipts and documents.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he