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Chen Shui-bian¡¦s office manager says KMT
should tone down attacks
CLEAN SLATE:The former president¡¦s office manager also
said it would only be a matter of time before Chen is cleared of the other
charges, which include forgery
By Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporter
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians should tone down their attacks
against former president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó) since he has already been found
not guilty in two of the three major cases against him, Chen¡¦s office manager
Chen Sung-shan (³¯²S¤s) told a gathering of pro--independence organizations in
Taipei yesterday.
The Taipei District Court found the former president not guilty of bribery
charges on Friday, saying in a ruling that there was not enough evidence to
convict Chen Shui-bian with taking money to facilitate two high-profile bank
mergers.
The ruling, which also cleared Chen Shui-bian¡¦s wife and 19 other co-defendants,
has come under harsh criticism from KMT politicians, who have since called the
ruling ¡§a travesty,¡¨ and demanded that judge Chou Chan-chun (©P¥e¬K) resign.
Expressing his support for the verdict, Chen Sung-shan said it was only a matter
of time before Chen Shui-bian would be cleared of the other charges he faces,
which include accusations that he committed forgery, embezzled state funds and
laundered money through Swiss bank accounts.
However, Chen Sung-shan said his optimism was tempered by concern that ¡§no judge
would be willing to hand another not guilty verdict to the ex-president if these
attacks on the judiciary continue.¡¨
He said that the KMT remarks were based on political considerations.
¡§All we are asking is that Chen Shui-bian receive a fair and unbiased ruling
from the courts. History will be the judge of whether the [former president] was
truly guilty,¡¨ he said.
Chen Shui-bian¡¦s office and dozens of his supporters, some of whom are currently
running for city councilor seats on the DPP ticket, are planning to hold a
series of rallies nationwide this month to drum up support for the former
president. The former president is currently incarcerated in Taipei Detention
Center in Tucheng (¤g«°).
Welcoming DPP politicians to take part in the events, Chen Sung-shan said he
hoped the party¡¦s five mayoral candidates would ¡§bravely and confidently¡¨ come
out to support the former president.
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