Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), the daughter of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), yesterday denied visiting the US for money-laundering purposes and said she had no previous knowledge of her brother’s plea negotiation with prosecutors.
Chen Hsing-yu, who was in New York to take a US dental aptitude test, gave an interview to TVBS yesterday before returning to Taiwan and insisted that taking the test was the only purpose of her US trip.
“I have had nothing to do with [money laundering]. The allegations are ridiculous. I applied for the test months ago. It’s not like I decided to take the test suddenly,” Chen Hsing-yu said.
When asked to comment about her brother Chen Chih-chung’s (陳致中) proposed plea bargain, Chen Hsing-yu said she did not know whether or not her brother had discussed the issue with her parents.
“I don’t know what to say ... I didn’t study law and I don’t know how to explain such things,” she said.
Chen Hsing-yu is the only member of Chen Shui-bian’s family who has not been implicated by prosecutors in the former president’s money-laundering case.
Chen Chih-chung and his wife were indicted for money laundering and allegedly helping to move money to foreign bank accounts. Last month, they told judges and prosecutors they would like to enter into plea negotiations with the prosecution.
Chen Hsing-yu complained about the media frenzy over her personal life and acknowledged that she had a short temper when confronted by reporters.
“I get irritated easily and the press love to provoke me and follow me around,” she said. “I don’t know what they want.”
Chen Hsing-yu has screamed at reporters on several occasions. Last week on the streets of New York she slammed reporters again for following her everywhere like “flies hovering over my head.”
She confirmed that she has been under great pressure during the past six months following her father’s detention. She also confirmed her intention to pursue higher education in the US and “return to a normal life” with her kids.
“The environment in Taiwan can’t get any worse ... I want to have a normal life back, being a dentist and having a normal family life with my children,” she said.
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