Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui: Who Transferred 50 Million US Overseas?

Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui: Who Transferred 50 Million US Overseas?
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 11, 2008

A Bian's money-laundering case has led unexpectedly to the spectacle of two former heads of state blowing the whistle on each other. A Bian (Chen Shui-bian) and A Hui (Lee Teng-hui) are accusing each other of transferring vast sums of money overseas. Based on the rhetoric from both sides, the money-laundering case is far more complex than outsiders imagined. Based solely on the public exchanges, we are getting a sense of just how ugly power lust can be.

Just before the money-laundering scandal erupted, Chen Shui-bian launched a "psy-ops" campaign, saying he "had been sitting on 75 unexploded bombs." He said that was the only reason no one ever went after Lee Teng-hui's State Confidential Expenses scandal and other scandals. In other words, he had Lee Teng-hui by the tail, and could set off the bombs any time. Once the money-laundering scandal erupted, Chen Shui-bian exposed Lee Teng-hui's transfer of one billion NT overseas by means of dummy accounts in the Zanadu Development Corporation scandal. He accused Lee Teng-hui of illegally diverting over 200 million NT in State Confidential Expenses from the "Fengtian Project" into the accounts of Lee's own Taiwan Comprehensive Research Institute. In response to these allegations, Lee Teng-hui lashed back, saying that Chen Shui-bian first began money-laundering in 2002, and that he had laundered up to 50 million US, or about 1.6 billion NT.

Only Lee and Chen know for sure whether Chen's claims about "sitting on 75 unexploded bombs" are true. But based on the charges and counter charges, Chen Shui-bian at least has Lee Teng-hui on the State Affairs Confidential Expenses scandal and the Zanadu Development Corporation scandal. Lee Teng-hui, meanwhile, also has unspecified, unfavorable information on Chen Shui-bian. No matter what the actual situation might be, what's most amazing is Chen Shui-bian's boast that he is sitting on 75 unexploded bombs. This is tantamount to a confession that during his term as president he interfered in the executive and judicial process, ensuring that numerous crimes committed by Lee Teng-hui would remain covered up. This constitutes a serious case of obstruction of justice, and a flagrant case of dereliction of duty. Yet Chen Shui-bian has the temerity to boast about it openly. His values and his sense of right and wrong, are probably beyond redemption.

On the one hand, Chen Shui-bian covered up Lee Teng-hui's crimes. On the other hand, he used the dirt he had to blackmail him. According to Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian visited him in the hospital in March 2002. Chen showed him a note with the names "Chen Kuo-sheng" and "Lee Chung-jen" written on them. Chen's insinuation was that he knew all about Lee Teng-hui's use of dummy accounts to transfer 50 million US overseas. A head of state turns a hospital visit with a sick man into an occasion for political intimidation. Such behavior rivals the criminal underground for sheer viciousness.

Lest we forget, the relationship between Chen and Lee at the time was characterized as the heart-warming relationship between "Moses" and "Joshua." Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Chen Shui-bian, the "Son of Taiwan," was blackmailing Lee Teng-hui, the "Godfather of Taiwan Independence." As we can see, we cannot use normal standards to evaluate politicians such as Chen Shui-bian. To everyones' surprise, Lee Teng-hui swallowed his pride for seven years. In the end however, Chen Shui-bian still refused to spare him. No wonder A Hui was so furious he lashed back at Chen, exposing his money-laundering.

Chen Shui-bian turned his back on more than just Lee Teng-hui. He has been using the same two-pronged approach with his DPP comrades. Lying on the one hand, making veiled threats on the other. He used DPP elections as a pretext for fund-raising. He turned the President's Official Residence into a collection window for political contributions. He doled out chump change to his comrades, dominating the DPP by means of money. That is why First Daughter Chen Hsing-yu's complaint "Who hasn't taken money from my father?" silenced all dissent within the party. Chen Shui-bian has issued stern warnings to his comrades. Anyone who accepted money from him following the implementation of the 2004 Political Contributions Act is also guilty. Someone who has been president for eight years knowingly violates the law. He accepts illegal political contributions. He covers up crimes. He blackmails political enemies. No holds are barred. No quarter is given. Now that disaster is imminent, he relentlessly weaves lies, threatens comrades, intimidates political enemies, fighting to the death. If prosecutors continue to treat Chen Shui-bian as a former head of state, how will they ever solve the money-laundering scandals?

During Chen Shui-bian's eight year term, he boasted of his quest for "Transitional Justice." In fact, he soon began covering up crimes, burying cases, concealing the truth. Probably not a single day has passed during Chen Shui-bian's political career when he did not boast of his pursuit of justice. His political faction refers to itself as the "Justice Alliance," but its actions are deals with the devil. He has single-handedly undermined Taiwan's system of justice, socially and legally.

Lee Teng-hui characterized Chen Shui-bian's tactics as "If I'm going down, you're going down with me." In fact, the more Lee and Bian blow the whistle on each other, the more they help purge Taiwan of the filth left behind by these two former heads of state. The cases Chen Shui-bian sat on, such as the one billion NT Zanadu case, and the 50 million US dummy accounts case, should all be re-prosecuted. What truths did they cover up? Who were their accomplices?

陳水扁與李登輝：誰匯出五千萬美元？
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.09.11 02:47 am

扁家洗錢案，意外演出兩位卸任元首互揭瘡疤的大戲，阿扁和阿輝互控對方將鉅款匯往海外。從雙方的言辭交鋒，可以想見洗錢案內情絕對比外界既知的還要複雜百倍；而光看檯面上的過招，權力的醜陋與惡質亦已一覽無遺。

洗錢案爆發前夕，陳水扁即已展開心戰喊話，說自己「壓住七十五顆未爆彈」，才讓外界免於追究李登輝的國安密帳等弊案。言下之意，他手裡握有李登輝許多把柄，隨時可以引爆。洗錢案爆發後，陳水扁更揭露李登輝在新瑞都案中利用人頭匯了十億元到海外；隨後又透過幕僚爆料，指李登輝非法挪用「奉天專案」的二億多元，使國安密帳經費流入台綜院。對於這些指控，李登輝則反擊說，陳水扁在二○○二年已開始用人頭洗錢，金額達五千萬美元，即約十六億台幣。

「七十五顆未爆彈」的說法是真是假，李扁兩人自己心裡有數。從目前的攻防，可看出陳水扁至少掌握了李登輝國安密帳及新瑞都案等不利資料；而李登輝手上，也有若干語焉不詳的不利於扁的訊息。但無論虛實如何，最讓人驚異的是，陳水扁自稱「壓了」七十五顆未爆彈，不啻承認自己在總統任內干預了行政和司法，使眾多李登輝有關的案件無法真相大白。這是極嚴重的「吃案」，元首公然違法失職，陳水扁竟大剌剌拿出來張揚，他的價值觀和是非觀，恐怕真到了無可救藥的地步了。

陳水扁一手吃案，但另一手卻又想用手中掌握的案子來脅迫挾持李登輝。借李登輝的描述為例，二○○二年三月陳水扁趁李登輝住院前去探視，卻亮出寫有「陳國勝」、「李忠仁」名字的紙條，暗示他知悉李登輝用人頭匯出五千萬美元巨款之事。一個元首，能把「問候病人」演成「政治恐嚇」，這種威脅手法，簡直比黑道還要狠毒。

別忘了，當時的扁李關係，正是被喻為「摩西」與「約書亞」傳承的甜蜜時光，而陳水扁竟然在後台演出這種「台灣之子」勒索「台獨教父」的恐怖戲碼，可見實無法以「常人」尺度看待陳水扁。沒想到，這口氣李登輝吞忍了六、七年，最後阿扁還是沒放過他；也難怪，阿輝氣到老臉變色，遂反咬阿扁洗錢。

陳水扁翻臉不認人，其實不只是對李登輝如此，他對民進黨內同志一樣是「邊說謊、邊威嚇」，雙管齊下。他利用民進黨選舉之名對外募款，把官邸變成收納政治獻金的總窗口，然後再撥出小錢給同志花用，就這樣透過金錢主宰了民進黨。也因此，陳幸妤一句「誰沒拿過錢」，黨內雜音立刻戛然而止；而陳水扁日前還向同志撂下狠話：二○○四年政治獻金法施行後還拿過他錢的人，都涉嫌犯罪。一個當過八年總統的人，任內知法犯法、收受獻金、扣壓案件、勒索政敵，無所不用其極；如今罪禍臨頭，還不斷編織謊言、要脅同志、恫嚇政敵、死纏爛打。檢察官若還以卸任元首的禮儀優遇陳水扁，洗錢案要到何年何月才辦得出結果？

陳水扁任內八年口口聲聲要追求「轉型正義」，事實上，他上任不久即開始壓案、吃案，掩埋真相。陳水扁的政治生涯無日不在嘶吼正義，他的派系也取名「正義連線」，但他手裡做的卻是魔鬼交易。他一手摧毀了台灣的社會正義與司法正義。

李登輝說陳水扁的打法是「要死一起死」，事實上，李扁二人彼此抖出越多內幕，越有助於社會清洗這兩位卸任元首留給台灣的汙穢。當初那些被陳水扁「壓掉」的案件，如新瑞都的十億、隨扈人頭匯出的五千萬美元，檢方都該重新偵辦，看看他們掩蓋了什麼真相，又是誰當了他們的幫凶？