Team makes history with former Taiwanese leader’s indictment
Lawrence Chung in Taipei 13 December 2 008
Eight Taiwanese prosecutors have made history by indicting the former first family, including ex-president Chen Shui-bian, on corruption charges.
Standing in line to pose for news photographers in the basement conference room of the Supreme Court Prosecutors Office in Taipei yesterday, they breathed a sigh of relief after the completion of what has been dubbed the indictment of the century.
The probe into alleged corruption against Chen and his family has been highly sensitive from the start, especially as Chen is the first of the island’s presidents to have such charges levelled against him.
Throughout their investigation and write-up of the official indictment, the eight have faced mounting pressure from both Chen’s pro-independence camp and politicians from Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou’s government.
While the pro-independence camp has been highly critical of the probe, calling it “political persecution” by the mainland-friendly Ma government, lawmakers in Ma’s camp have been equally critical, alleging the prosecutors are on Chen’s side and have tried to stall the investigation.
“All the prosecutors have been criticised and scolded constantly,” prosecutor Wu Wen-chung said. “We go to work in the day and get snubbed at night. Yet we have to face the pressure and achieve our goal in gathering enough evidence to bring up the charges against the guilty parties.”
He lamented that politicians, however, had attempted to turn a judicial case into a political one. “We have to work hard to gather all the necessary evidence to prove that they [the corrupt politicians] are wrong and to prevent them from using ethnic differences to obstruct justice.”
Chen was born in Taiwan. The Kuomintang, of which Mr. Ma is a member, came to the island at the end of China’s civil war.
From the beginning, Chen has insisted he is innocent and even claimed that he is the victim of political persecution by Mr. Ma, saying Mr. Ma wants to placate the mainland by imprisoning him because of his pro-independence stance.
Chen was detained on November 12 on suspicion of corruption. Since then he has claimed political persecution and spent his time in detention staging a hunger strike and writing a book to promote the building of a Taiwanese nation, He apparently hopes to garner support from pro-independence groups and build an image of someone who would die for his cause.
Prosecutor Lin Tse-wei called on politicians such as Chen to treat the law with respect.
“Some politicians in Taiwan have taken the constitution and the vows they have made as if they were nothing,” Mr. Lin said. “When a president has pledged to abide by the law and the constitution, he is subject to severe punishment if he breaks his pledges.”
Prosecutor Chen Yun-nan went further by saying that it was inexcusable for the former first family to use the power and influence granted to them by the constitution for wrongdoing.
He also criticised the former first lady, Wu Shu-chen, for using her position to “actively interfere in government administration, taking as much money as she could and messing up the government system and order”.
Prosecutor-general Chen Tsung-ming said the prosecutors were all neutral. “All of us have remained neutral, fair and objective,” he said.
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Prosecutors Breathe Sigh of Relief
Team makes history with former Taiwanese leader’s indictment
Lawrence Chung in Taipei
13 December 2 008
Eight Taiwanese prosecutors have made history by indicting the former first family, including ex-president Chen Shui-bian, on corruption charges.
Standing in line to pose for news photographers in the basement conference room of the Supreme Court Prosecutors Office in Taipei yesterday, they breathed a sigh of relief after the completion of what has been dubbed the indictment of the century.
The probe into alleged corruption against Chen and his family has been highly sensitive from the start, especially as Chen is the first of the island’s presidents to have such charges levelled against him.
Throughout their investigation and write-up of the official indictment, the eight have faced mounting pressure from both Chen’s pro-independence camp and politicians from Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou’s government.
While the pro-independence camp has been highly critical of the probe, calling it “political persecution” by the mainland-friendly Ma government, lawmakers in Ma’s camp have been equally critical, alleging the prosecutors are on Chen’s side and have tried to stall the investigation.
“All the prosecutors have been criticised and scolded constantly,” prosecutor Wu Wen-chung said. “We go to work in the day and get snubbed at night. Yet we have to face the pressure and achieve our goal in gathering enough evidence to bring up the charges against the guilty parties.”
He lamented that politicians, however, had attempted to turn a judicial case into a political one. “We have to work hard to gather all the necessary evidence to prove that they [the corrupt politicians] are wrong and to prevent them from using ethnic differences to obstruct justice.”
Chen was born in Taiwan. The Kuomintang, of which Mr. Ma is a member, came to the island at the end of China’s civil war.
From the beginning, Chen has insisted he is innocent and even claimed that he is the victim of political persecution by Mr. Ma, saying Mr. Ma wants to placate the mainland by imprisoning him because of his pro-independence stance.
Chen was detained on November 12 on suspicion of corruption. Since then he has claimed political persecution and spent his time in detention staging a hunger strike and writing a book to promote the building of a Taiwanese nation, He apparently hopes to garner support from pro-independence groups and build an image of someone who would die for his cause.
Prosecutor Lin Tse-wei called on politicians such as Chen to treat the law with respect.
“Some politicians in Taiwan have taken the constitution and the vows they have made as if they were nothing,” Mr. Lin said. “When a president has pledged to abide by the law and the constitution, he is subject to severe punishment if he breaks his pledges.”
Prosecutor Chen Yun-nan went further by saying that it was inexcusable for the former first family to use the power and influence granted to them by the constitution for wrongdoing.
He also criticised the former first lady, Wu Shu-chen, for using her position to “actively interfere in government administration, taking as much money as she could and messing up the government system and order”.
Prosecutor-general Chen Tsung-ming said the prosecutors were all neutral. “All of us have remained neutral, fair and objective,” he said.
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