Chen's son-in-law held in scandal
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-25 10:07
Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's son-in-law was detained on Thursday after
marathon questioning on suspicion of insider trading in a scandal that has
sparked opposition calls for Chen's resignation.
Chao Chien-ming, a doctor married to Chen's daughter, was detained after
prosecutors and the Bureau of Investigation questioned him for about 15 hours,
Taipei prosecutor Lin Ban-liang said.
"A court approved Chao Chien-ming's incommunicado detention after prosecutors
questioned him," Lin said by telephone.
Chen said in a statement late on Wednesday he would never cover up wrongdoing
and that he "respected the judiciary's and the bureau's independence 100
percent".
Chao's parents, brother and sister-in-law were freed after questioning.
An opposition deputy has accused Chao of using dummy accounts to buy Taiwan
Development Corp. shares from the partly state-owned Chang Hwa Bank at
relatively low prices in a private placement last year.
Taiwan Development share prices have skyrocketed after a banking consortium
bailed out the financially troubled real estate developer.
Su Teh-jien, chairman of Taiwan Development, and two other buyers have also
been taken into court custody.
Some legislators from the main opposition Nationalist Party have called for
Chen's ouster, but party chairman Ma Ying-jeou, who plans to run for president
in 2008, said such a move was not feasible and would divert attention away from
the scandal.
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