The office of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday released a manuscript written during his incarceration in which he describes a dream he had about running for president again. However, Chen’s office denied that he actually intended to run for president again.
Sue Wang (王時思), a legal adviser at Chen’s office, said that to dream and to actually run for president were two completely different things.
Wang made the remark in response to questions about a report in the latest issue of Next Magazine, which hit the newsstands yesterday.
The report cited Chen’s diary as saying that he had a dream in which he was asked to run for president at the last minute and in return he proposed he would run for only one term, he would also forfeit his salary and use the president’s discretionary fund for emergency relief purposes.
The report also said that Chen had interpreted the meaning of his prisoner number, 2630: the number two symbolized to “run again,” six meant “luck,” three represented a “third term of presidency” and the zero meant “perfection.”
The diary is part of the book Chen plans to publish next week, tentatively titled The Cross of Taiwan.
Chen’s office yesterday released two parts of the manuscript: “Long Live Taiwan” and “Prison Conversation.” Chen wrote them during his first imprisonment in November and last month and his current incarceration.
In the manuscript, Chen lamented his failed attempt to make Taiwan a sovereign state and describes the period during his hunger strike.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel (SIP) yesterday rebutted a story in the Chinese-language press that a local banker would soon confess to paying bribes to the former first family.
The allegation in yesterday’s Apple Daily said that an anonymous banker had asked for help from lawyer Tu Ying-da (杜英達) and would provide prosecutors with details of a NT$300 million (US$9 million) bribe allegedly paid to the former first family.
The story alleged that Tu had talked to SIP prosecutors after he was photographed visiting the office on Tuesday.
SIP Spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) confirmed Tu’s visit on Tuesday, but refused to provide any more details.
“However, I can confirm that rumors about an anonymous banker are not true,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chen Yun-nan said the SIP had issued a summons for the former first family’s physician Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥).
“We understand that [Huang] has recently resigned as the vice president of Shin Kong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital, so we have good reason to believe that he is not coming back in the near future,” Chen Yun-nan said. “If he continues to ignore the summons, we may place him on the wanted list.”
He said that SIP prosecutors may visit the US to talk to Huang.
Chen Yun-nan said that Huang left for the US on Nov. 3 last year and has not returned.
Also yesterday, Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) lawyers continued with efforts to get the former president released from detention.
The Taipei District Court has scheduled hearings for the former president for three consecutive days from Sunday to Wednesday.
Lawyer Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳) said that they would file a request today seeking to delay the hearings.
“It will be difficult for us to finish reviewing all the related documents before Jan. 19,” Shih said.
In addition, Shih said that at Chen Shui-bian’s request, lawyers would file another bail request tomorrow.
“The Lunar New Year is coming soon. He [Chen Shui-bian] told us that he is missing his wife and children and is hoping that he will be able to return home for the New Year. We will try to make that happen,” Shih said.
Meanwhile, SIP prosecutors carried out raids at 17 different locations in Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu City, Chiayi County and Chiayi City from morning until evening yesterday.
Chen Yun-nan said that the raids were related to an insider-trading case that the SIP is working on.
“The raids had nothing to do with the former president and his family,” Chen Yun-nan said.
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