Wu Shu-chen Statement Exposes Shenanigans at the Presidential Mansion

Wu Shu-chen Statement Exposes Shenanigans at the Presidential Mansion
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 20, 2009

The Chen Shui-bian corruption and money-laundering trial officially begins next week. This week Wu Shu-chen and Chen Cheng-hui confronted each other. The court issued a warrant for Huang Fang-yen's arrest. Four charges have been made. The broad outlines of the Discretionary Fund case have been established. Wu Shu-chen's statement will provide the public with an inside look at the shenanigans that went on inside the Presidential Residence.

One's first impression of the Presidential Mansion is that it was piled high with cash. At least 1.1 billion in cash was transported from the Presidential Mansion to the Cathay United Bank. The total weight of the cash was over 600 kilograms, or over 1300 pounds. Packing them into kraft paper bags containing 5 million dollars each, required over 220 bags. Wu Shu-chen said some of the money at the Presidential Mansion was locked in a safe, some was stuffed into a closet, some was locked in an unused room, and some was stuffed into gunny sacks sitting on the floor. With her own eyes Chen Cheng-hui saw sacks of cash taking up the entire floor.

Just imagine. Wu Shu-chen has limited mobility. Boxes and sacks filled with bank notes were moved back and forth within the Presidential Mansion because the First Family was afraid to entrust outsiders to move it elsewhere. Just picture President Chen Shui-bian, Chen Chih-chung, and Chen Hsing-yu, constantly moving the money around. Just imagine, someone who has attained the rank of president, schlepping gunny sacks back and forth, stuffing banknotes into 5 million dollar kraft paper bags.

The Chen family had two billion in cash at home and abroad, that we know about. Chen Shui-bian says he contributed one billion to Democratic Progressive Party candidates. Add to this cash which already converted to real estate, jewelry, and other forms of wealth. No wonder this bizzare scenario, of rooms piled high with cash, would manifest itself at the Presidential Mansion. Visitors have even testified that the air in the Presidential Mansion was filled with the odor of bank notes. Within this money infested den of iniquity, Ah-Bian, Ah-Chen, Chih-chung, Hsing-yu received money, fondled money, played with money, counted money, hugged money, moved money, divvyed up money, bundled money, hid money, obssessed over money, laundered money, laid down in money. How did an entire family become so crooked, to where they no longer bore any resemblance to normal people?

Apparently these four members of the Chen family equated power with money, and the office of the president as a tool for obtaining money. Democracy was a pretext. Politics was merely a game of black gold. On the one hand, the money amassed could be spread around like confetti, sponsoring Democratic Progressive Party candidates, solidifying his hold on the presidency. On the other hand, the billions or even tens of billions of dollars amassed could earn more money, increasing his power. The Chen family business was a business that required zero capital but amassed astronomical profits. It was a uniquely Taiwanese Business Model.

The Presidential Mansion was filled to overflowing with money. Several hundred million dollars of this money was stuffed into vans and driven straight into the Presidential Mansion. Some was collected by the First Lady from various sources, one false invoice at a time, then sent to the Presidential Office. Each alleged "campaign contribution" amounted to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Many members of the public are asking themselves why Ah-Bian and Ah-Chen felt compelled to go after the relatively paltry sums involved in the State Affairs Fund case, the Nankang case, and the Lungtan case? Why did they go after Mrs. Luo and Ah-Ching Shao's monthly allowance of 20,000 dollars?

Ah-Ching Shao was a loyal retainer. Her monthly salary was reportedly only 20,000 NT. Given the Chen family's financial resources, to pay her such meager wages was not merely stingy, it was heartless. The Chen family amassed a fortune. Yet it paid her out of the public treasury. It drew upon an "Intelligence Services Allowance." It had taxpayers support her through the Presidential Office. Such calculation is hard-hearted and unscrupulous beyond belief.

What is Chen Cheng-hui but another Ah-Ching Shao? The Chen family took advantage of Chen Cheng-hui. It exploited her long and dependent relationship. Every month Chen Cheng-hui processed false invoices. On orders from President Chen she kept two sets of books. On orders from Lin Teh-hsing she destroyed receipts. She counted out bank notes in the Cathay United Bank vault. She accompanied armed bodyguards when they transported banknotes. Did Chen Cheng-hui, a Christian, have doubts about what she was doing? Did she wrestle with her conscience? The lid has already been blown off the scandal. Yet Wu Shu-chen still asserts that Chen Cheng-hui, "on her own initiative," asked to take custody of the State Affairs Funds and move it to the Presidential Mansion for safekeeping. We have just one question for Ah-Chen. Just how far do you intend to go in your abuse of Chen Cheng-hui?

The Presidential Mansion had a one-way safe into which money entered but never emerged. This presented a storage problem. Therefore Chen Shui-bian had another safe installed at the Presidential Office. After that vans drove directly into the Presidential Mansion, loaded up with cash, then delivered the bank notes to the Presidential Office. The Presidential Mansion and the Presidential Office sometimes operated independently and sometimes worked hand in han. Lee Chieh-mu personally visited the Presidential Mansion for orders on how to embezzle money. Ah-Bian, Ah-Chen, Ma Yung-chen, Lin Teh-hsung held conferences at the Presidential Mansion on how to evade prosecution. Huang Fang-yen convened meetings in the Presidential Office, attended by Ma Yung-cheng, Cheng Shen-chi, Ku Chung-liang, on how to launder money. Ku Chung-liang personally lugged 50 million NT in cash to the Presidential Office!

What sort of Presidential Office is this? What sort of Presidential Mansion is this? What sort of President and First Lady is this? Their crimes are too numerous to list.

吳淑珍對質揭露的總統官邸風景
【聯合報╱社論】
2009.03.20 05:23 am

扁案下周全面進入實質審理，本周吳淑珍與陳鎮慧對質，法庭外亦有發布通緝黃芳彥等進度；至此，四大案中特別費案的輪廓已可大致確立，而吳淑珍的供詞，亦使國人對總統官邸風景的諸般想像，化作宛若親眼目睹的畫面。

官邸風景的第一印象是「全厝間」的現鈔。從官邸搬至國泰世華的錢，至少高達十一億餘，總重量逾六百公斤；分裝成每袋五百萬元的牛皮紙袋，至少要多達二百二十餘袋。吳淑珍說，那些錢在官邸中，有些鎖在保險箱裡，有些放在衣櫥裡，有些鎖在空室裡，有些就裝在布袋中置於地上；陳鎮慧親目所見的景象則是：麻袋堆滿地！

想像中的畫面是，吳淑珍行動不便，而這成箱成袋成綑的鈔票，在官邸中搬來搬去恐不宜假手外人，則必然出現的鏡頭就是：陳水扁總統、陳致中、陳幸妤等，皆要三不五時將這些錢抱來抱去……。你能想像，堂堂一個總統在家裡將麻布袋拖著走，並將鈔票分裝成每封五百萬元的一個個牛皮紙袋嗎？

扁家在國內外露餡的現金約已二十億，陳水扁又稱他贊助民進黨候選人達十億，再加上許多現金已經變置房產、珠寶，更加上必然存在的未知黑數，難怪扁家出現現金「全厝間」的景象，連登門訪客都說，在扁府的空氣中聞得到「鈔票的味道」。在這個錢滿為患的宅邸中，扁珍致妤四人，三不五時收錢、摸錢、玩錢、數錢、抱錢、搬錢、分錢、綑錢、藏錢、想錢、洗錢……。躺在錢堆上，經年累月，這一家人的人格如何可能不扭曲？甚至其精神意識如何可能不異於正常人？

扁家四口的思想顯然是：權力就是金錢，「總統」這個職位就是生財營利的工具，民主就是騙錢的口實，政治則根本只是黑金遊戲。一方面，用聚斂來的錢財，天女散花似地贊助民進黨候選人十億元，以鞏固自己的權位；另一方面自己則「笑納」數十億元甚或數百億元。用權斂財，以錢養權。扁家這個「營利事業」，無本，天文數字的「利潤」，不啻是台灣獨一無二的Business Model。

這全厝間的錢，有些是幾億元塞進廂型車直入官邸，有些則是總統夫人四處蒐集一張張假發票向總統府錙銖詐取而得。許多人的共同感慨是：既然已有每筆動輒幾千萬、幾億元的所謂「獻金」，則扁珍夫婦怎麼連餅干屑式的國務費也要貪？連南港案及龍潭案那樣的錢也要貪？甚至連羅太太、阿卿嫂的每月二萬餘「情報津貼」也要貪？

說到阿卿嫂，這位忠誠的家僕，據說在扁家每月薪水僅二萬餘元；以扁家如今暴露的財力，竟然只付阿卿嫂如此菲薄的薪水，非僅吝嗇，簡直已是殘酷。而扁家如此多金，竟用公帑給阿卿嫂「情報津貼」，如今又將阿卿嫂塞給總統府由全民來供養，算盤打到如此地步，這不啻已是狼心狗肺才會有的行徑。

陳鎮慧豈不也是另一個阿卿嫂？扁家利用將陳鎮慧「從小帶大」的恩情，把基督徒陳鎮慧捲進如此罪孽深重的犯罪淵藪；陳鎮慧在處理假發票時，在將每月二百萬元機密費往官邸送時，在被阿扁指示作假帳時，在被林德訓指示銷毀單據時，在國泰世華保險室點鈔票時，在與隨扈荷槍實彈運送鈔票時……，內心難道沒有懷疑？又如何處理其理智與道德的煎熬掙扎？如今，東窗事發，吳淑珍卻說：因為總統府的保險箱放不下，陳鎮慧「主動」將國務費搬到官邸託我代她保管。請問扁珍賢伉儷：你們還要作踐陳鎮慧至何地步？

說到保險箱，玉山官邸有一座「有進無出」的保險箱，所以陳水扁就在堂堂總統辦公室內也自己設了一座。此後，廂型車運鈔直驅官邸者有之，拎著數箱現鈔送入總統府辦公室者亦有之。官邸與總統辦公室，有時「分進」，有時「合擊」；李界木可親赴總統官邸恭聆貪汙指令，扁、珍、馬、林又在官邸舉行串證脫罪會議，而黃芳彥則在總統辦公室召集馬永成、鄭深池、辜仲諒等商議洗錢大計，其中辜仲諒更曾親自扛送五千萬元現金到總統辦公室裡！

這是何其狗屁倒灶的總統辦公室？這又是何其藏汙納垢的總統官邸？這更是何其無恥可鄙的總統夫婦？罄此篇幅，不能盡書。