Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday filed a defamation lawsuit against a political commentator, who claimed that Chen deposited more than NT$30 billion (US$926 million) in Japan.
Dismissing Yao Li-ming’s (姚立明) allegations as “preposterous,” the statement issued by Chen’s office said that Yao, a professor of administrative management at Chinese Culture University, should have been careful in his words and deeds instead of making groundless accusations and damaging Chen’s reputation and social status.
Yao claimed during a TV talk show on Monday that he had learned through “official channels” that Chen had deposited more than NT$30 billion in Japan.
The statement urged prosecutors to launch an investigation into the matter so they can help correct any public misinformation and defend Chen’s rights.
Yao said yesterday that Chen’s legal action would not only give him an opportunity to tell the court what happened, but also offered the court a chance to find out whether Chen had hidden deposits overseas.
Yao said he has testimony from witnesses and evidence to substantiate his claim and would be happy to testify in court.
Speaking late last night, Chen dismissed the allegation as ridiculous, saying he would commit seppuku if he were found to have NT$30 billion in Japan.
In related news, Chen’s office yesterday rebutted media reports that he used three of his bodyguards as figureheads for money laundering. The reports also alleged that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) used two other bodyguards to wire more than NT$1.5 billion abroad.
Chen’s office issued a statement asking the Special Investigation Panel to provide correct information on the three bodyguards in question — Cheng Kuang-lin (鄭光麟), Liao Ching-sung (廖青松) and Lee Chih-chung (李志中).
The trio did not serve Chen during his presidency, the statement said. Neither did they have any financial relationship with Chen and his family nor did they serve as figureheads to facilitate money laundering, it said.
As for the two other bodyguards — Chen Kuo-sheng (陳國勝) and Lee Chung-jen (李忠仁) — Chen’s office said that a record of the prosecutors’ interview of Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英), the former chairman of China Development Industrial Bank, during their investigation into the Zanadau scandal in 2003 showed that Chen Kuo-sheng and Lee Chung-jen served as figureheads for Lee Teng-hui.
Liu was convicted of his involvement in the case in which a woman accused him of accepting money in return for his help in securing bank financing.
The statement said that judicial investigation found that more than NT$1.5 billion had been wired overseas between 1995 and 2001 using the two guards’ accounts.
However, prosecutors did not pursue this part of the case, the statement said, adding that they suspected prosecutors did it deliberately.
Liu had also served as the unofficial treasurer of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and was a close friend of Lee Teng-hui. He is widely thought to have had absolute control over the KMT’s assets during Lee Teng-hui’s presidency.
Later yesterday Lee Teng-hui’s office yesterday issued a statement, denying that Chen Kuo-sheng and Lee Chung-jen were his bodyguards.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS