Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son and daughter-in-law returned from the US yesterday morning for questioning by prosecutors investigating the alleged money laundering by the former president and his wife.
Both have been named defendants in the investigation.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) and his wife, Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚), who arrived in Taiwan at about 5:30am, told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport their role in the case was clear.
“We are merely figureheads,” Huang told reporters. “I signed the papers, but I had no idea what they were. I did not ask my mother-in-law. I just did what she told me.”
Huang said she did not know there was so much money in her overseas account until she read the newspapers.
The couple complained that prosecutors had named them defendants before they could talk to them.
Chen Chih-chung and Huang reported to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel office at 4pm for questioning after prosecutors, possibly in response to pressure from a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, brought forward their questioning, which had been scheduled for Friday.
The couple left the prosecutors’ office at about 6:30pm, but declined to make any comment to reporters who had gathered outside.
Prosecutor Chu Chao-liang (朱朝亮) held a brief press conference later, saying the summons had been made yesterday morning and was delivered at noon. The couple reported to the office on time. He said prosecutors had barred the couple from leaving the country should they be needed for further questioning.
Lin Che-hui, a prosecutor, said that Chen Chih-chung and Huang Jui-ching refused to sign an authorization allowing prosecutors to look into Huang’s back accounts in Switzerland.
According to Lin, Chen Chih-chung said he “had difficulty” in signing the authorization letter.
KMT legislators Chiu Yi (邱毅) and Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) had earlier expressed dissatisfaction at the Special Investigation Panel’s decision not to take the couple for questioning directly from the airport.
Lu, a member of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said Chen Chih-chung and his wife should be considered “culprits” in Chen Shui-bian’s alleged money-laundering activities, regardless of how much distance they tried to create between themselves and the former president.
Chiu, meanwhile, requested that the Control Yuan launch an investigation into the Special Investigation Unit’s decision not to question the couple immediately upon their arrival.
Chiu sent a letter of complaint to the Control Yuan, in which the Special Investigation Unit was accused of dereliction of duty and lack of professionalism.
Chiu said that as a result of the delay, the couple had had enough time to communicate with their family members and ensure that their versions of the story coincided.
“They were both listed as defendants and the case has drawn a lot of attention both domestically and overseas. Prosecutors should work against the clock,” Chiu said.
Chiu said prosecutors had acted unfairly by questioning Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) over her alleged abuse of public funds for overseas trips immediately after her arrival in the country while failing to do so in Chen Chih-chung’s case.
Asked for comment, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said Chen Chih-chung and Huang had failed to account for the origin of the money wired by the Chen family abroad.
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