The Presidential Office yesterday dismissed an allegation that President Chen Shui-bian (
"We regret seeing the report, which has no basis in fact," the Presidential Office said in a statement in response to a report in yesterday's Chinese-language China Times.
The report claimed that Chen met with an "economic heavyweight" on Monday and was extremely confident about the judicial inquiry into the presidential fund. The report quoted anonymous high-level sources from the Democratic Progressive Party and government who said they thought that Chen might try to justify the use of fake receipts by saying that they were used for national security purposes.
The statement said that the president had not met any "economic heavyweight" on Monday, and denied claims that Chen had said that "anything is negotiable" as long as he did not have to step down.
The Presidential Office said it was a pity that the newspaper had failed to double-check its facts before printing the article.
With prosecutors still investigating the case, the statement called on the media to respect the independence of the probe and refrain from instructing investigators how to do their job.
"It not only does not help the investigation, but also misleads the public and creates civic unrest," the statement said.
In related news, the Presidential Office also dismissed allegations that first lady Wu Shu-jen (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (
Chiu said that Guo's name showed up twice in the receipts used to claim reimbursements from the president's special allowance fund.
The Presidential Office said that Chiu had fabricated the claim and urged the public to refrain from interfering in the investigation.
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