Taiwan president rejects predecessor's plea for help

Jul 1, 2009, 11:21 GMT

   Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has rejected a plea by his predecessor Chen Shui-bian to lift a court order that bars Chen's daughter from leaving the island, a spokesman said Wednesday.

   'President Ma said, as a father, he fully understood the feeling of ex-president Chen, but the ex-president had been a state leader before and must know that a president must stay out of any individual court cases to uphold judicial independence,' presidential spokesman Wang Yu-chi said.

   Wang's comment came after Chen, who has been held in pre-trial detention since late December on charges of corruption, recently wrote a letter to Ma, begging him to exercise his influence so that the court would lift its order, which is preventing Chen's daughter from taking up advanced dentistry studies in the United States.

   The court imposed the ban last week after Chen Hsin-yu pleaded guilty to making false statements to try to protect her parents in a money-laundering case.

   In his letter, the former president said he was worried his daughter might have a nervous breakdown, could commit suicide or even take along her three children to die.

   Wang confirmed that Ma had read the letter and felt sorry for the plight of Chen's daughter but said he could do nothing about it.

   Chen was indicted in December along with his wife, Wu Shu-chen, on charges of embezzling state funds, accepting bribes and laundering money during his time as president from 2000 to 2008.

   Chiang Chi-ming, chief secretary of Chen's office, said Wednesday that Wu recently sent a letter to Chen, blaming the ex-president for causing troubles for their daughter and son.

   His comments came after media reports that said Wu was upset her husband had refused to plead guilty to corruption charges because it was causing suffering for their daughter and son.

   Wu has admitted money laundering and accepting bribes, which she insisted were political contributions. Chen's son, Chen Chih-chung, and daughter-in-law, Huang Jui-ching, charged with money laundering, have pleaded guilty to the charges.