The China Post news staff
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wu Ching-mao, the brother-in-law of ex-president Chen Shui-bian, said yesterday that he remitted mo
ney abroad via underground channels on behalf of his younger sister Wu Shu-jen, the former first lady, according to the Special Criminal Investigation Unit (SCII) of the Supreme Prosecutor Office.
Wu made the remarks when questioned by the SCII over his alleged role in the suspected money laundering involving the former first family.
Wu told prosecutors that since Chen was elected Taipei mayor in 1994, he started to use his account at a Dutch bank in Singapore to manage funds for his younger sister. Touching on credit transfer methods, Wu said he sometimes remitted money abroad via banks, and sometimes through underground channels.
Chen's brother-in-law also noted that sometimes he made remittances on his own, but sometimes asked his wife Chen Chun-ying to do the job.
Prosecutors were surprised to hear Wu's remarks concerning remittances via underground channels, and they wondered very much why Wu chose underground remittance channels.
Earlier, former first lady Wu Shu-jen told prosecutors that all the funds, around US$20 million, remitted abroad were all legally obtained. "If so, why should her elder brother use underground remittance channels, instead of legal ones?" prosecutors asked.
Prosecutors said that they would also move to question operators of the underground remittance channels on charges of violating the Banking Act by handling the remittances for Wu.
For his alleged role in the suspected money laundering scandal, Wu Ching-mao has been listed as a defendant in the case and has been banned from leaving the country.
Ex-president Chen, Wu Shu-jen and their son Chen Chih-chung, as well as daughter-in-law have all been listed as defendants in the suspected money laundering case as evidence emerged about the former president and his wife using their daughter-in-law to transfer US$20 million of funds through her two Swiss bank accounts.
The scandal came to light recently after Swiss prosecution authorities sought Taiwan's help in a probe into a possible money laundering case in Switzerland involving the ex-president's son and his daughter-in-law.
Also yesterday evening, Wu Ching-mao's wife, Chen Chun-ying, was sent to the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) for emergency medical treatment after she fainted while being questioned by prosecutors. Wu claimed that her wife attempted to commit suicide amid heavy questioning and pressure from prosecutors by taking a certain kind of pill. Wu accused prosecutors of pressing his wife to confess to allegations beyond her knowledge, leading to her suicide attempt.
Prosecutor Chu Chao-liang, spokesman of the SCII, said that Wu told prosecutors that his wife took a kind of sedative to mitigate the interrogation pressure, during a break in the questioning session. Prosecutors allowed Wu to take his wife to receive medical treatment at the NTUH, according to Chu.
Chu continued by saying that the entire questioning process, carried out in a legal way, had been recorded and videotaped.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also questioned Lin Wen-yen, chairman of China Steel Corp., over his alleged role in managing the election campaign budgets to see if the money remitted abroad by ex-president Chen was related to the campaign budget surplus.
Lin said he was responsible for controlling the campaign budgets for Chen, adding that he knew little about Chen remitting money abroad.
Source: The China Post
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wu Ching-mao, the brother-in-law of ex-president Chen Shui-bian, said yesterday that he remitted mo
ney abroad via underground channels on behalf of his younger sister Wu Shu-jen, the former first lady, according to the Special Criminal Investigation Unit (SCII) of the Supreme Prosecutor Office.
Wu made the remarks when questioned by the SCII over his alleged role in the suspected money laundering involving the former first family.
Wu told prosecutors that since Chen was elected Taipei mayor in 1994, he started to use his account at a Dutch bank in Singapore to manage funds for his younger sister. Touching on credit transfer methods, Wu said he sometimes remitted money abroad via banks, and sometimes through underground channels.
Chen's brother-in-law also noted that sometimes he made remittances on his own, but sometimes asked his wife Chen Chun-ying to do the job.
Prosecutors were surprised to hear Wu's remarks concerning remittances via underground channels, and they wondered very much why Wu chose underground remittance channels.
Earlier, former first lady Wu Shu-jen told prosecutors that all the funds, around US$20 million, remitted abroad were all legally obtained. "If so, why should her elder brother use underground remittance channels, instead of legal ones?" prosecutors asked.
Prosecutors said that they would also move to question operators of the underground remittance channels on charges of violating the Banking Act by handling the remittances for Wu.
For his alleged role in the suspected money laundering scandal, Wu Ching-mao has been listed as a defendant in the case and has been banned from leaving the country.
Ex-president Chen, Wu Shu-jen and their son Chen Chih-chung, as well as daughter-in-law have all been listed as defendants in the suspected money laundering case as evidence emerged about the former president and his wife using their daughter-in-law to transfer US$20 million of funds through her two Swiss bank accounts.
The scandal came to light recently after Swiss prosecution authorities sought Taiwan's help in a probe into a possible money laundering case in Switzerland involving the ex-president's son and his daughter-in-law.
Also yesterday evening, Wu Ching-mao's wife, Chen Chun-ying, was sent to the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) for emergency medical treatment after she fainted while being questioned by prosecutors. Wu claimed that her wife attempted to commit suicide amid heavy questioning and pressure from prosecutors by taking a certain kind of pill. Wu accused prosecutors of pressing his wife to confess to allegations beyond her knowledge, leading to her suicide attempt.
Prosecutor Chu Chao-liang, spokesman of the SCII, said that Wu told prosecutors that his wife took a kind of sedative to mitigate the interrogation pressure, during a break in the questioning session. Prosecutors allowed Wu to take his wife to receive medical treatment at the NTUH, according to Chu.
Chu continued by saying that the entire questioning process, carried out in a legal way, had been recorded and videotaped.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also questioned Lin Wen-yen, chairman of China Steel Corp., over his alleged role in managing the election campaign budgets to see if the money remitted abroad by ex-president Chen was related to the campaign budget surplus.
Lin said he was responsible for controlling the campaign budgets for Chen, adding that he knew little about Chen remitting money abroad.
Source: The China Post
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar