Prosecutors yesterday questioned the chairman of one of the nation’s leading companies as a probe into money-laundering claims against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his family continued.
Jeffrey Koo (辜濂松), chairman of Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控), was summoned as a witness over the firm’s suspected role in the money-laundering case, said Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel.
Koo’s son, Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒), former vice chairman of Chinatrust, was also summoned but failed to appear. Koo Jr is wanted for evading an arrest warrant in 2006 following a probe into alleged irregularities involving the company’s bid for rival Mega Financial Holding Co (兆豐金控) and is overseas.
“We decided to summon these two witnesses because we discovered that two separate wire transfers of US$1 million were wired from these two companies to the former first family’s foreign accounts,” the spokesman said.
Jeffrey Koo’s questioning came a week after prosecutors raided three companies, including Chinatrust, over their suspected roles in transactions involving the Chen family’s overseas accounts.
Local media has speculated that the transactions might be related to financial reforms made during Chen Shui-bian’s term as president, but prosecutors have denied this.
Prosecutors say US$21 million was sent to Swiss bank accounts belonging to Chen’s daughter-in-law last year. The funds have since been frozen.
The former president has admitted his wife wired US$20 million abroad from his past campaign funds, but said she did so without his knowledge. He denies laundering money.
Chen Shui-bian, who left office in May, is also being investigated for allegedly embezzling NT$14.8 million (US$440,000) in expenses while he was president. His wife is on trial in the same case.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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