Chen family, 19 others indicted again for corruption, money laundering

Nineteen other people, including Chen's relatives, former aides and high-profile financiers were also implicated.

In the latest round of indictments, the Special Investigation Division under the Supreme Prosecutor Office charged Chen, his wife Wu Shu-chen, their daughter Chen Hsing-yu and son Chen Chih-chung again with bribery, money laundering and forgery.

Prosecutors said the crimes were carried out by manipulating regulations augmenting financial reforms introduced during an eight-year period by the Chen administration.

According to the indictment, the first couple took bribes amounting to NT$610 million from the Cathay financial group and the Yuanta financial group in exchange for aiding their forays of acquiring and merging other banks or financial firms to form new and large financial holdings companies.

Other relatives on the latest indictment list were Chen Chih-chung's wife, Huang Jui-ching; former first lady, Wu Shu-chen's elder brother, Wu Ching-mao; and Wu Ching-mao's wife, Chen Chun-ying.

Chen Shui-bian's aides and friends formally charged in the same case included former senior adviser, Wu Li-pei, and Ma Yung-cheng - a top presidential aide during the Chen administration.

Yuanta Group founder, Rudy Ma and his two sons, as well as one senior executive in the same group were also named as defendants.

They were indicted on money laundering charges for helping Chen Shui-bian and his wife 'hide and move money' within Taiwan, and transfer NT$740 million abroad to Swiss banks, prosecutors said.

The indictment stated that Tsai Cheng-yu, a vice chairman of Cathay Financial Holding, allowed the Chen family to hoard huge amounts of cash in the group's vaults, while Tsai himself picked up the rent fee.

Jeffrey Koo Jr., former vice chairman, Chinatrust Financial Holding Co., was charged with crimes related to manipulating the financial reforms conducted during the Chen administration.

He was alleged to have engaged in inside trading and forgery for illegal financial gains, including a NT$300 million fund used to recoup the amount he allegedly gave the Chen family earlier.

Other senior executives in the financial sector implicated in the latest round of indictments included Cheng Shen-chi, former chairman of Mega Financial Holding,

Hou Hsi-feng, former chairman of Kuo Yang Construction, and Lu Yung-tai, chairman of Kao Hsing Chang Iron and Steel, who were indicted on similar charges for helping the ex-first couple to purchase a luxury apartment in Taipei City, according to the prosecutors.

In the first round of trials last year, the Taipei District Court sentenced Chen and his wife to life imprisonment, while 10 other people were given prison terms ranging from three months to 20 years.

In the second round of indictments in September this year, prosecutors charged former Vice Premier, Chiou I-jen, and former Foreign Minister Michael Ying-mao Kao for colluding with Chen to embezzle funds in the guise of 'secret diplomacy fund spending.'

Chen has been detained at the Taipei Detention Center since Dec. 30, 2008 on charges of embezzlement, bribery, money laundering and forgery.

His recent request for release from the detention center was rejected by the Taiwan High Court.

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