Former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) yesterday admitted bribing former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) with NT$10 million (US$300,000).
Chen’s statement contradicted her previous statements in court.
Chen yesterday appeared at the Taiwan High Court, where she is being tried on charges of perjury.
Prosecutors allege she purposely gave false testimony during questioning last year about the former first family’s alleged money-laundering activities. They also allege Chen bribed the former first lady to obtain the position of chairwoman of Taipei Financial Center Corp.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Chen tearfully said she had bribed Wu because she wanted to “maintain friendly relations” with her.
During her trial, Chen told judges she had lied about bribing Wu at first because she was faced with the dilemma of being accused of both bribery and perjury. She also said she lied because she was torn emotionally and did not wish to hurt anyone with her testimony.
On June 3, she was accused of perjury along with former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), his son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), and his son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘).
On Sept. 1, the Taipei District Court sentenced Diana Chen to one-and-a-half years in prison, the heaviest sentence of the four. District court judges gave her the full sentence because she committed perjury after Apr. 24, 2007, and therefore did not qualify for a reduced sentence. Her refusal to admit to the charges against her in exchange for a lighter sentence also resulted in her receiving a longer prison term than the others.
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