Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) yesterday denied taking bribes and profiteering in the first pre-trial hearing for a second wave of charges brought against her.
She said that she received NT$300 million (US$9.2 million) in political donations from former Chinatrust Financial Holding Co vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒) and admitted that she violated the Political Donation Act (政治獻金法) because she did not report them.
However, she denied that the money she took from Koo and former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) were bribes or illegal gains, adding that she didn’t use the money for personal expenses.
PHOTO: CNA
On May 5, prosecutors said they had concluded the second part of the investigation into the former first family. They charged former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his wife with taking bribes, profiteering and violating the Political Donation Act.
Prosecutors accused the former president and his wife of accepting NT$10 million in bribes from Diana Chen.
Prosecutors alleged that Diana Chen gave the former first lady NT$10 million to secure the presidency of Grand Cathay Securities Corp (大華證券).
The indictment also accused the couple of inappropriately taking NT$300 million in political donations from Koo.
Prosecutors accused the former president of using election campaign funds and secret foreign relations as excuses to ask Koo for donations, which the couple then pocketed.
Separately, in response to her daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), being charged with perjury on Wednesday, Wu told reporters: “I respect the judicial system.”
TV footage showed her grim-faced yesterday morning as she prepared to take the high-speed rail to Taipei for the hearing.
Before Wednesday, Chen Hsing-yu had been the only immediate family member of Chen Shui-bian not named as a defendant in relation to the former first family’s alleged money laundering activities.
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