Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian yesterday resisted mounting pressure for him to step down, denying that he had embezzled government money.
In a 100-minute live televised briefing at the Presidential Office, Mr Chen said he was willing to resign if his wife was found guilty of corruption. 'I have no wish to cling to power. There is no need to wait for a three-trial process. If the judiciary hands down a corruption conviction in the first trial, I am willing to bow out,' he said.
On Friday, prosecutors indicted Mr Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, 'for allegedly embezzling NT$14.8 million in state funds' between 2002 and this year by producing receipts to account for spending. They also identified Mr Chen as a 'joint perpetrator'.
The president, who survived two recall motions initiated by opposition lawmakers this year to remove him from office, said it was unfair for the prosecutors to suspect him and his wife of pocketing NT$14.8 million (HK$3.5 million) based on the limited information they had obtained.
'Absolutely no NT$14.8 million was ever put in the personal pockets of anyone,' he said, claiming the fund was used for secret diplomatic missions, details of which could not be revealed because it could harm the island's interests.
He said that when prosecutor Eric Chen Jui-jen interviewed him in August and October, he had explained that he was unable to reveal details of the fund's operations for the sake of Taiwan.
