Former "President" Chen Shui-bian's son Chen Chih-chung (right) and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching enter Taipei District Court yesterday. The couple pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering. CNS

TAIPEI: Former "President" Chen Shui-bian's son and daughter-in-law pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of money laundering. The plea was entered at a Taipei District Court hearing.

The couple are charged along with other members of the former "president's" family.

Chen Chih-chung and his wife Huang Jui-ching admitted to acting as proxy and nominal holder, respectively, for the family's controversial overseas bank accounts.

Chen's son and daughter-in-law agreed to repay, in Swiss funds, the equivalent of NT$570 million. The money was remitted by local businessmen to the couple's Swiss bank accounts. Details of how the funds will be transferred back to Taiwan remain unclear.

The agreement follows the couple's earlier concession to return an additional $21 million in funds deposited in Swiss bank accounts. Prosecutors allege the funds are connected to money laundering activities.

Sources in the Special Investigation Division under the Supreme Prosecutors Office say the couple, in a deposition taken Dec 18, provided details about the flight of NT$570 million. The agreement that the couple return the funds to Taiwan, however, was reached only in recent days.

Swiss authorities have made no moves to freeze the couple's accounts in which the funds are held.

Prosecutors believe the cash may have accumulated through kickbacks paid by Taiwanese businessmen in return for preferential treatment from the government. Chen's family insists the funds channeled abroad by family members were political campaign contributions.

The prosecutors declined to confirm whether Chen and Huang have signed authorization letters allowing authorities to scrutinize Swiss bank accounts.

In the Dec 18 deposition, Chen and Huan indicated they were willing to discuss a plea bargain and to return to Taiwan $21 million previously frozen by Swiss authorities, according to sources.

Chen and Huang gave another statement on Dec 30, 2008, in which they detailed their assets and bank accounts overseas and expressed willingness to cooperate with prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the Taipei District Court will subpoena the former "president's" wife, Wu Shu-jen. She is expected to appear Feb 10-11 for a series of pretrial hearings. She faces charges of embezzlement and money laundering.

Chen Shui-bian and Wu Shu-jen were indicted last December on charges of embezzling NT$104 million from a special "presidential" fund.

They also were accused of accepting bribes worth NT$100 million and $6 million, in connection with a land procurement deal and another $2.73 million in kickbacks for helping a contractor win a tender for a government construction project.

CNA

(HK Edition 01/22/2009 page1)