A former lawmaker known for fighting in the legislature testified in court yesterday that he was innocent of charges of business fraud, embezzlement and intimidation.
Prosecutors accused Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) last June of illegally pocketing NT$1.3 billion (US$38 million) from several businesses. The prosecutor said Lo used violence and intimidation to get the money.
Lo was also accused of obtaining loans totaling NT$800 million (US$23.4 million) from two banks by presenting forged documents about a construction project.
Facing a possible sentence of 20 years in prison, Lo told reporters before the hearing began yesterday that he was innocent and that the charges were trumped up.
``I can face up to my conscience. I will pray for God's blessings,'' Lo said.
Last year, the 59-year-old Lo was suspended from the legislature for six months for attacking Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) during a committee hearing. The burly Lo alleged that Lee accused him of being a gangster, and he slapped and punched her in front of TV cameras.
Lo, an independent, did not run for re-election last December.
When he appeared at the Taipei District Court yesterday, he looked more like a gentle, bespectacled grandfather than the tough-talking, brawling lawmaker he once was. His hair was gray because he has stopped dying it, and he wore a conservative dark suit.
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