The wife of detained former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian has asked him to plead guilty to corruption to get linked charges against their son and daughter lifted.
In the latest development in the high-profile scandal, reports said the former first lady, Wu Shu-chen, blamed her husband for trying to act as a martyr and refusing to admit guilt, thus resulting in suffering for their son and daughter.
Chiang Chih-ming, Chen's chief secretary, confirmed yesterday that Wu had sent a letter to her husband last month, blaming the former leader for the plight of their children.
'Before the ex-president's mother visited her son at the detention centre on June 4, Wu gave me a letter and asked me to hand it to her to give to the ex-president,' he said. Mr Chiang only learned of its contents later.
Chen and his wife were charged in December with embezzling NT$104 million (HK$24.7 million) in special state funds, accepting NT$400 million in bribes and laundering more than US$38 million in funds abroad. He has been held since December.
Chen has denied all charges, saying they were politically motivated and that his successor, Ma Ying-jeou, of the mainland-friendly Kuomintang, wanted to lock him up because of his pro-independence stance.
