Independent presidential candidate Ellen Huang (黃越綏) said yesterday that the indictment of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) over embezzlement of public funds was aimed at attacking Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
“The most pathetic thing about Lee’s indictment was political intervention through the judiciary, making it a political tool to blow away [the ruling party’s] political rivals,” Huang said during a -gathering with netizens in Taipei yesterday evening.
Huang said that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) recently said the charge against Lee would point to Tsai’s involvement in an “816 project” under the secret diplomacy funds from which Lee allegedly embezzled. The 816 project was part of the Mingteh Project (明德專案) focusing on secret diplomacy with the US and Japan. Chiu alleged that Tsai received NT$2.62 million (US$91,147) from the 816 project and passed the money to Yang Chih-heng (楊志恆), who Chiu said was involved in the money-laundering charge against Lee.
The secret diplomacy funds were not created by Lee, but were established under Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and then former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), Huang said.
“They were funds at the discretion of presidents for diplomatic purposes. There was no reason to indict Lee because he did not pocket public funds,” she said, adding it was not difficult to find inconsistencies in Lee’s indictment.
Huang said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was found not guilty in 2008 following an indictment against him in 2006 for misusing his special allowance during his stint as Taipei mayor. However Yu Wen (余文), the city government’s accountant, was jailed for nine months after being convicted of forgery in his handling of Ma’s expense account.
“Given this, how could it possible that Lee was guilty when the accountant general of the case, Hsu Ping-chiang (徐炳強), was already found not guilty,” Huang said.
Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚), daughter-in-law of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), also attended the event to show her support for Ellen Huang.
Amid speculation that she might run for legislative seat in January’s elections, Huang Jui-ching said she would take up the challenge “if my father-in-law asks me to.”
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