Former Chen aides deny they helped embezzle state funds
Two former key aides to Chen Shui-bian yesterday pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and blamed the former Taiwanese president for the charges against them.
On the second day of pretrial hearings at Taipei District Court, Ma Yung-cheng and Lin Te-hsun said they had only been carrying out Chen's instructions about how to account for special state funds.
'Not a single cent went into my pocket. I was just doing what I was told to do, and I have never been involved in any corrupt practices nor thought of helping [Chen] to do so,' said Ma, the former deputy secretary general of the Presidential Office.
Ma and Lin were charged last month with collaborating with Chen to loot NT$104 million (HK$24.7 million) in special funds allotted to the president for public activities and secret diplomatic missions during his eight years as president from 2000.
Ma said Chen's former chief accountant had asked him to approve claims the then president made on the secret funds, but that he had no idea what the money was used for.
Lin made similar statements, and said he was indignant about being charged with corruption.
'As a presidential office director, there was no way for me to question how the funds were spent,' he told the court. It was 'highly unacceptable' that he had been charged with helping Chen embezzle the special funds.
The two will appear in court again on February 17.
A pretrial hearing today will deal with the preliminaries involving the roles of Chen's son, Chen Chih-chung, and daughter-in-law, Huang Jui-ching, in his alleged crimes.
On Monday, Chen was brought before the court for a pretrial hearing concerning his alleged acceptance of NT$391.8 million in bribes in connection with a government land purchase and the construction of an exhibition centre, forgery and embezzlement of the special state funds. Prosecutors added new charges against him of influence peddling and blackmail.
Chen faces a pretrial hearing on February 24 on a money-laundering charge.
If convicted of even some of the offences, he could face life imprisonment.
Chen has denied all charges, saying they are politically motivated.
He charged that President Ma Ying-jeou wanted to appease the mainland's leaders after Chen's efforts to promote Taiwanese independence.
In a book he wrote in prison awaiting trial, which was published on Monday to coincide with the hearings, he said the charges against him amounted to political persecution. He also called on Taiwan's 23 million people to show their firm rejection of the mainland by throwing out Mr Ma in the 2012 presidential election.
'I predict and deeply believe that the 2012 presidential election is a choice between Taiwan and China,' he wrote in the book, Cross of Taiwan.
He lashes out in the book at Mr Ma's policy of engaging with the mainland, saying it will only bring Taiwan back into the mainland fold.
He called for work to start this year on an anti-unification referendum to be held alongside the 2012 election.
