zt : Financial Times

Beijing behind arrest, says Chen
By Robin Kwong in Taipei

Published: February 22 2009 17:23 | Last updated: February 22 2009 17:23

Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian, in detention in the island’s biggest corruption case, has admitted to not properly managing his family’s finances, but maintained he was not corrupt and that his prosecution has been politically motivated.

“My wife wired money abroad without my knowledge,” Mr Chen told the Financial Times from the prison where he is being held in solitary confinement. “That was certainly wrong. I didn’t manage my family well and for that I have to take moral and political responsibility.”

EDITOR’S CHOICE
China, Taiwan explore cultural exchange - Feb-15China and Taiwan split by more than the Strait - Dec-22Lex: China bails out Taiwan - Dec-22Taiwan trade deal eases tension - Nov-04Chinese envoy attacked in Taiwan temple - Oct-22Beijing cancels US military exchanges - Oct-07Dressed in a grey prison uniform and watched closely by a prison guard, Mr Chen, in his first remarks to the media since his indictment in December, said his arrest and trial was prompted by Beijing’s hatred of him.

Outside the visitors’ room, in the middle of the prison courtyard, a large stone sign was painted with the Chinese words: “Within the law, everyone is free.”

Mr Chen’s case has raised questions of judicial independence and fairness in Taiwan. Mr Chen, who practised law before entering politics, said: “I respect the judicial process, but I don’t believe in it. I am even disappointed in it.”

He and his family are accused of taking millions in illicit money – through embezzling a special state fund and accepting bribes from prominent businessmen – and laundering it abroad during his eight years in office.

Mr Chen’s wife and son have in recent weeks pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, but members of the Chen family deny corruption charges. The former cashier in Mr Chen’s presidential office this week pleaded guilty to graft, dealing a further blow to the former president’s case.

Details of Mr Chen’s arrest, indictment and trial have dominated daily conversation among the Taiwanese, and his prison diaries, published last month, are on many local bestseller lists. For many, his image as a champion of democracy and Taiwanese identity has been badly tarnished.

“In the short term, my situation is a setback to the Taiwan independence movement, but it does not affect the long-term move towards that goal,” Mr Chen said.

He added that even if he was convicted, others would take up the fight. “No one is irreplaceable. Taiwan independence and its democratisation are inevitable paths.”

Mr Chen’s thinly veiled agenda of promoting independence riled Beijing, which is closely watching his trial. While the communist government has never ruled Taiwan, it claims sovereignty over the island and backs the claim with the threat of military force.

“Everyone knows that this is 100 per cent a political case,” Mr Chen said. “Since this is a political case, it’s subject to the rise and fall of politics. It’s not like I’ve never been detained before. I was locked up here for eight months,” he said, referring to a spell during Taiwan’s martial law period in the early 1980s.

If found guilty he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Last Friday, Mr Chen began a second hunger strike against what he claimed was misconduct by prosecutors in handling his case.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009