Chen Chih-chung, the former first son and his wife Huang Jui-ching are scheduled to land at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at around 6 a.m. today.

Speaking to reporters waiting at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport before boarding Eva Air Flight BR031 Saturday night, Chen said he and his wife were returning to face the judiciary after they learned from the media that they have both been named as defendants by prosecutors in their probe into alleged money laundering operations involving their family.

Chen stressed that they are innocent because they knew nothing about the family's money transfer operations.

He also clarified that they had only a "dictated and directed role" in the whole matter.

"Ours are dummy (bank) accounts and we are controlled and instructed," Chen added.

For her part, Huang said it was "too far-fetched" to name them as defendants in the case.

Only after she arrived in the United States Aug. 9 with her husband did she become aware that she had been used as a "figurehead" to open accounts at two banks in Switzerland for massive cash deposits, she explained.

'Cooperation'

"We will give cooperation in the investigation to prove our innocence," Huang said.

Chen Chih-chung confirmed that he did register at the law school of the University of Virginia Aug. 11 as scheduled, but had not completed the enrollment procedures nor taken part in the orientation.

"The school authorities told me to 'come back next year' because they had 'received some information,'" he told the reporters without elaboration.

President Chen made a public apology two weeks ago for "having done something not permitted by the law" when confirming publicly two weeks earlier that his family had maintained a large sum of money in Huang's bank accounts in Switzerland.

It turned out that more than US$20 million had been deposited in Huang's bank accounts in Singapore and was later transferred to accounts in Switzerland with her husband, Chen's son, holding power of attorney.

The former president explained that the money came from the remainder of his campaign funds from four election campaigns.

He insisted that the transfers of funds were made exclusively by his wife without his knowing.

Chen also emphasized that the sources of the money were clean and legitimate "with no need of laundering."

money has been earmarked for public services and helping with the boosting Taiwan's external relations.

He subsequently voluntarily withdrew his membership from the DPP while the party's Taipei City Committee suspended the memberships of his wife, son, and daughter-in-law with a thorough probe into the case by the party headquarters.

DPP leaders said they are relieved now that Chen Chih-chung and his wife are coming back to help clear things up.

It would inflict tremendous damage to the party if the couple decided to in the United States as speculated by many in Taiwan.

But lawmakers of the ruling Kuomintang expressed pessimism in the outcome of the probe, claiming law enforcement agencies have lagged far behind in the investigation.

They suspected that many overseas trips made by Chen's son in the first eight months of the year could have fully covered the trails of the money flows with advice from international money managers.

The former family could have also been aided by senior officials in Taiwan, including Yeh Sheng-mao, former chief of the Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Justice.

Yeh is currently under investigation for allegedly withholding vital information concerning the possible illegal financial operations of the family.

U.S. assistance

According to Jason Yuan, the Republic of China's representative to Washington, the U.S. authorities provided assistance to Taiwan in locating Chen Chih-chung and his wife, at the request of the ROC government. The young couple had been technically "missing" since their entry into the United States Aug. 9, he said.

A source at University of Virginia said Friday that since Taiwan prosecutors have subpoenaed Chen Chih-chung, he would probably return to face the probe because his student visa has been revoked and it would be illegal for him to remain in the U.S.

Former president Chen, his wife Wu Shu-chen and Wu's elder brother were listed last week as suspects in the case and have been barred from leaving the country.

The Egmont Group, an international anti-money laundering organization, and the Swiss authorities forwarded information to the Money Laundering Prevention Center of Taiwan's Investigation Bureau in January with detailed reports the status of foreign bank accounts created by members of Chen family in countries like the U.S., the Cayman Islands, Singapore and Switzerland.

Chen's wife claimed last week during questioning by prosecutors that the US$21 million deposited in the family's various overseas bank accounts was "all legal income."

Subpoena

The money is reportedly distributed among three different accounts -- two in Switzerland held in the name of Huang Jui-ching and one in Singapore in the name of her elder brother Wu Ching-mao.

Chen is already being investigated for allegedly embezzling NT$14.8 million in special "state affairs" expenses while serving as president, and his wife has been on trial for corruption and document forgery for using other people's invoices to claim the funds in the same case.

Both the junior Chen and his wife failed to appear as witnesses for a session on Aug. 15, one day before the former president's residence was searched.

After naming the couple as defendants, prosecutors of the special criminal investigation task force under the Supreme Prosecutor Office sent out a subpoena requiring them to report for questioning before Aug. 29.

But prosecutors said they welcome the couple to report to the team for an earlier questioning session after arrival if they show genuine intention for cooperation in the probe that has drawn wide attention both in Taiwan and abroad.

Meanwhile, the judicial officials said they will send a formal notice this week to Swiss authorities requesting the temporary freezing of the deposits of the Chen family pending a full investigation into the original sources of the funds.