PFP keeps the heat on Lee family

"What the PFP has done is no less than try to confiscate the property of [former president Lee Teng-hui] and his relatives and exterminate their lives."

The TSU

PFP lawmakers yesterday requested that the Department of Taxation audit the accounts belonging to relatives of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to see if members of his family members cheated on their taxes.

The lawmakers made the request after the investigation bureau reported on Tuesday that the money in the accounts at issue have nothing to do with national funds.

PFP lawmakers have continued to focus on the accounts, shifting their accusations to tax evasion.

They said the report released by the investigation bureau shows that five sums of money, with a combined value of more than NT$60 million, were found to have been transferred into the accounts of Annie Lee (李安妮) and Chang Kwei-fen (張桂芬) in June 1997.

Annie Lee is the daughter of the ex-president. Chang Kwei-fen is the sister of Lee's daughter-in-law Chang Yue-yun (張月雲).

"We wonder why Lee and his relatives had so much money when Lee had said neither he nor his family had made big investments," said PFP lawmaker Sun Ta-chien (孫大千).

Last week, PFP lawmaker Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) cited a tip-off letter to accuse Lee of embezzling national funds.

He said large sums of money were wired from the Farmers' Bank of China (農民銀行), where part of the secret funds of the National Security Bureau (NSB) were deposited, into Lee's relatives' bank accounts.

But it was later found that some of Liu's accusations were inaccurate, such as the amount of transferred money and the date the transfers allegedly took place.

It was also found that the money was not transferred from the Farmers' Bank of China.

In addition, the report issued by the investigation bureau also found that the money in question did not come from NSB funds.

Sources within the PFP said that PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) is not pleased that his subordinates have changed their focus on the matter.

The TSU demanded that the PFP apologize for the accusations after the investigation bureau found that Lee and his relatives were innocent.

They said that "what the PFP has done is no less than try to confiscate the property of Lee and his relatives and exterminate their lives."