Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said yesterday that former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should lose his bodyguards, but the proposal was quickly attacked across party lines.
Chiu said he would propose an amendment to the Statute Governing Preferential Treatment to Retired Presidents and Vice Presidents (卸任總統副總統禮遇條例) to remove bodyguards from a retired president or vice president who is under investigation for corruption and other major crimes, he said.
“This bill is targeted at Chen Shui-bian,” he said.
By law, former presidents are eligible for a protection service of eight to 12 bodyguards.
Chiu said he decided to pursue the amendment after one of Chen’s guards complained about having to protect the former president.
Chen is under investigation by the Special Investigation Panel in connection with money-laundering allegations.
COMPLAINT
“He [the bodyguard] was very unwilling to and tired of [protecting Chen]. He was very dissatisfied with Chen, while his family and friends gave him a lot of pressure after learning that he was one of Chen’s bodyguards,” Chiu said.
However, Chiu did not release the name of the bodyguard.
Chiu said stripping Chen of his guards was necessary to prevent him from traveling around the nation to “team up with his culprits.”
Other KMT legislators did not back Chiu’s proposal.
“Even though we are angry at Chen ... a nation’s legislation must demonstrate consistency and impartiality,” KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said.
He said sanctions should wait until Chen was found guilty in the first trial because to do so earlier would spark controversy.
KMT Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said Chen should keep his security unit because at least this way the National Security Bureau would know where he was.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) called Chiu’s proposal “political persecution.”
DPP caucus deputy whip Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) said all former presidents and vice presidents should lose their bodyguard details if Chen were stripped of his.
When approached for comment, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said it was too early to discuss this issue before legislators reached a consensus.
FRIEND DEFENDS CHEN
Meanwhile, a friend of Chen complained that the media had falsely accused Chen of arranging for National Taiwan University Hospital to declare Chen’s wife unfit to appear in court last Friday.
Chen’s office issued a statement yesterday on behalf of Tsai Cheng-chun (蔡正俊), former chairman of Rotary Club of Taipei North Gate.
Tsai said Chen, a fellow Rotarian, had visited him at the hospital last Tuesday after he had surgery.
Tsai said he felt sorry and troubled when he saw the media had interpreted Chen’s simple concern for an old friend as a political maneuver.
Some reports claimed Chen went to visit a prominent pro-independence politician., while other alleged Chen had gone to the hospital to arrange for Wu’s sick leave.
Tsai urged the media to double-check their facts.
Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) failed to appear in court for the 17th time last Friday, citing a statement from the hospital that suggested appearing in court could cause immediate danger to her health.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KO SHU-LING AND STAFF WRITER
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