Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday denied a Next Magazine report that claimed he had tried to seek political asylum in France.
The magazine claimed Chen had asked one of his financial donors, Chen Ching-nan (陳慶男), to inquire about the possibility of the former president seeking political asylum when Chen Ching-nan met a high-level personnel with a French arms dealer in January.
The Next report said the Frenchman told Chen Ching-nan that France was a country that respected human rights and that most politicians requesting political asylum could get their wish. It claimed that before the former president could act on the plan, he became embroiled in a scandal involving alleged money laundering and was barred from leaving the country.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The former president’s office issued a statement yesterday calling the magazine’s story “groundless” and “a fabrication.”
The statement warned that the former president might file a lawsuit against the magazine for publishing photographs and personal details of his four grandchildren. The magazine could have violated the children’s rights and infringed on the Children and Youth Welfare Law (兒童及青少年福利法), the statement said.
Next alleged that Chen Shui-bian’s daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), has been planning to pursue a doctorate in the US and take her three sons with her. The magazine published photographs of the boys and gave details of their daily activities and their schools.
The statement also dismissed another Next story alleging former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) had accepted gift vouchers worth NT$2 million (US$62,600) during the management takeover of the Sogo Department Store.
The statement said the court had ruled that the former first family was not involved in the transfer of management and Far Eastern Group chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東) recently held a press conference to clear up the matter.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Prosecutor’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel (SIP) continued to summon witnesses yesterday for its investigation of the former first family’s alleged money laundering case.
While former Pacific Distribution Investment Co chairman Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆) showed up yesterday morning for the summons, former first daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching’s (黃睿靚) father Huang Bai-lu (黃百祿), mother Wu Li-hua (吳麗華) and her younger brother Huang Han-chiang (黃漢強) did not show up in answer to their summons.
SIP spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said prosecutors were still investigating the former first family members’ bank accounts, both domestic and foreign.
Chen Yun-nan also denied Next’s claim that the SIP had discovered that the former first family had a total of NT$1.2 billion in their overseas accounts.
“The NT$1.2 billion that the magazine reported never existed,” he said. “The SIP never provided any confirmation of this to anybody.”
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