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DE RUEHIN #1298/01 2452224
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TAIPEI 001298 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USTR 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/EP 
USTR FOR KATZ AND STRATFORD 
USDOC FOR 3132/USFCS/OIO/EAP 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/TTYANG AND PISA 
TREASURY ALSO PASS TO FEDERAL RESERVE/BOARD OF 
GOVERNORS, SAN FRANCISCO FRB/TERESA CURRAN, AND NEW YORK FRB MARI 
BOLIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINV EFIN PGOV ECON PREL SENV TW
SUBJECT:  Former President Chen's Family Under Investigation for 
Possible Money Laundering 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 
------------------------ 
¶1. (SBU)  Although it is not uncommon for Taiwan's wealthy or upper 
middle classes to send money overseas for investment, to avoid tax, 
or for other reasons, it came as a shock to many when former 
President Chen Shui-bian acknowledged that his family had 
accumulated overseas accounts equivalent to US$21 million. 
According to Chen, the funds came from unused campaign donations 
over the years, and he admitted not fully reporting campaign 
donations, which he characterized as behavior "not permitted by 
law."   Chen said none of the money was ill-gotten, and he asserted 
that the overseas transfers had been orchestrated by his wife 
without informing him in advance.   Taiwan has launched a major 
investigation of Chen, his family, and many of his associates and 
others.  This investigation is in addition to the ongoing 
investigation into the alleged misuse of State Affairs funds 
involving the former president and his wife.  End Summary. 
 
Yes, It's My Money 
------------------ 
¶2. (SBU)  After a KMT legislator charged that she had evidence (a 
leaked document) that former President Chen Shui-bian had 
transferred US$21 million to secret accounts in Switzerland, Chen 
admitted on August 14 that his wife Wu Shu-chen had transferred 
large sums of money out of Taiwan.   He said that funds totaling 
about US$21 million held overseas in the names of his children or in 
companies they control are in fact his assets and apologized that he 
had not disclosed these assets while holding public office, which 
was, as he characterized it, "not permitted by law."  Chen claimed 
his invalid wife, however, arranged these money transfers without 
his knowledge.  Chen's admission came only a day after one of his 
attorneys  had denied related charges made by Next magazine. 
 
What the Former First Lady Says 
------------------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU)  Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, reportedly told prosecutors 
during questioning that none of the US$21 million came from 
ill-gotten gains.  She claimed that the money came from unspent 
campaign donations that Chen received when he ran for Taipei mayor 
in 1994 and again in 1998 and for his presidential campaigns in 2000 
and 2004.  Until the law was changed in 2004, which was after his 
last election, it was legal and not uncommon for politicians to 
simply keep unspent campaign funds.  According to Wu, that is what 
they did.  Some of the funds, she stated, also came from Chen's 
income as a successful attorney before he became Taipei mayor, and 
other funds were from gifts that Wu and Chen received from her 
parents upon their marriage.  There were also investment earnings. 
Because of Wu's health considerations, a signed transcript was not 
prepared for this first round of questions.  In later questioning, 
Wu revised her statement to say that all of the funds were unspent 
campaign donations, consistent with what former President Chen has 
asserted. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  According to media reports, Wu also told prosecutors the 
money was sent overseas because local banks and investment firms 
were reluctant to establish relationships with major political 
 
TAIPEI 00001298  002 OF 004 
 
 
figures.  To get around this, she said that she used accounts in the 
name of her brother (Wu Ching-mao) and subsequently her 
daughter-in-law (Huang Jui-ching), under the advice of her asset 
managers.  These asset managers, she said, also recommended the 
funds be managed overseas where there were more investment options 
and potentially higher returns.  Saying she had used a number of 
different asset managers over the years, Wu claimed to have played a 
passive role, merely reviewing regular statements submitted by the 
managers. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Wu reportedly told prosecutors that in Singapore, the 
asset management accounts under her brother's name moved when the 
asset manager transferred from one bank to another.  Consequently, 
when the manager transferred from ABN AMRO Bank to Standard 
Chartered Bank and subsequently CLSA, the capital followed.  After 
son Chen Chih-chung married Huang Jui-ching, the former First Lady 
placed the asset management accounts in her daughter-in-law Huang 
Jui-ching's name.  This was in February 2007.  She stated that 
foreign asset managers recommended by her son then moved the capital 
from Singapore to Switzerland. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Chen Chih-chung and Huang Jui-ching returned to Taiwan on 
August 25 to tell their side of the story.  Asserting to the press 
that they were simple pawns in the process acting only under 
instruction from the former First Lady, they were questioned by 
prosecutors on the day of their arrival.  Like former President Chen 
and First Lady Wu, they have been barred from leaving Taiwan at this 
time. 
Chasing the Money - The Timeline 
-------------------------------- 
¶7.  (SBU)  Although former President Chen's wife had been sending 
money out of Taiwan into family accounts for a number of years, it 
was a transaction in November 2007 which apparently first caught the 
attention of the Swiss authorities.  Reportedly, this led to the 
Swiss government launching a money-laundering investigation on Mr. 
Chen Chih-Chung and Ms. Huang Jui-ching, son and daughter-in-law of 
former President Chen.  The Swiss authorities eventually froze the 
couple's bank accounts in Switzerland.  To further the 
investigation, the Swiss authorities made a request, via letter 
dated June 16, 2008, to Taiwan's representative office in 
Switzerland, for assistance in the case and identified transactions 
that had come to their attention.  According to the prosecutor's 
office in Taiwan, the Swiss were well aware that the subjects of 
their investigation were close relatives of former President Chen. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The transactions that first attracted the attention of 
the Swiss authorities reportedly occurred in late November 2007, 
when Huang transferred US$10 million from Switzerland to the Cayman 
Islands and then back again to Switzerland, using companies 
controlled by her or her husband.  The first transaction was in the 
name of Bouchon Ltd, transferring US$10 million from an account in 
Zurich held in the name of "Galahad Management" at Coutts, the 
private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland, to the Cayman 
Islands.  The money was then transferred back to Switzerland into an 
account at Merrill Lynch.  Galahad Management is owned by Chen, 
former President Chen's son-in-law. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Further investigation by the Swiss reportedly uncovered 
 
TAIPEI 00001298  003 OF 004 
 
 
other earlier transactions.  According to the letter from the Swiss 
authorities, Huang transferred about US$11 million from an account 
at CLSA in Singapore to two Merrill Lynch accounts in Switzerland in 
early 2007:  US$10,945,000 on February 15, 2007, and US$140,200 on 
March 2.  In May 2007 Huang contracted Merrill Lynch to set up a 
company called Bouchon Ltd. registered in the Cayman Islands and 
owned by Huang.  Her husband Chen Chih-chung was also given 
authority to access the accounts. 
 
Did I Forget To Mention That Note From the Caymans? 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
¶10.  (SBU)  Not only the Swiss raised questions about these 
transactions.  It has since come to light that as part of the Egmont 
Group, an anti-money-laundering organization, the Cayman Islands had 
notified the Money Laundering Prevention Center in Taiwan's Ministry 
of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) of unusual, large financial 
transfers involving Chen and Huang in January 2008.  This 
information never left MJIB and was evidently not followed up with 
further investigation.  Former MJIB Director Yeh Sheng-mao claimed 
variously that he had not passed on the information to the 
prosecutors' office because he had been preoccupied with planning 
for his retirement (in May of this year), and that he had actually 
visited the Chief Prosecutor personally to discuss the matter.  The 
Chief Prosecutor denies that any such discussion occurred.  On 
August 28, Yeh Sheng-mao was indicted for withholding the 
information he had received about the case. 
 
So Is Anybody Guilty of Anything? 
--------------------------------- 
¶11.  (SBU)  It is a common practice for Taiwan's rich and middle 
class to send funds overseas for a variety of reasons, including 
chasing higher returns, diversifying investments, and avoiding 
taxes.  Even so, it came as a shock to many of his supporters and 
others that the family of former President Chen stashed US$21 
million abroad.  But is it illegal?  It is true that he did not 
disclose these assets as a government employee, which could subject 
him to discipline by the Control Yuan, essentially Taiwan's civil 
service system.  Punishments for such lack of disclosure could 
result in Chen receiving a fine only.  It is also possible that 
someone could be found guilty of using underground channels to remit 
funds, but it is not yet clear if that was the case.  There could 
also be tax issues. 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  Even though it may seem distasteful to the Taiwan public 
that Chen chose to retain excess campaign contributions, if the 
contributions were made before the law was changed in 2004, it does 
not appear to be illegal.  Since Chen's last election was for 
president in 2004 and before the new law applied, he apparently 
would be entitled to retain his campaign funds to use as he sees 
fit.  Chen has noted that he has already donated millions of dollars 
in campaign funds to the DDP and to individual candidates. 
 
¶13.  (SBU)  An important question is whether any of the money may 
have come from bribes, embezzlement, kickbacks, or other illegal 
activity and whether prosecutors can prove it.  The Ministry of 
Justice has already offered substantial cash rewards as well as 
potential deals for anyone willing to come forward with information 
about bribes or other illegal payments to former President Chen or 
 
TAIPEI 00001298  004 OF 004 
 
 
his associates.  It may be difficult, however, to distinguish 
between "bribes" and "donations," from businesses, which have a 
tradition of giving to both government and opposition candidates. 
The Chairman of Taiwan's Chamber of Commerce as well as the Chairman 
of the Chinese National Federation of Industries, both pro-KMT 
business leaders criticized the request for businesspeople to 
surrender themselves and predicted that no one would comply. 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  Others have charged that payments may have changed hands 
during the second stage of financial reform when a number of 
government banks were privatized in 2005.Many of the stock prices of 
banks involved in those transactions fell with news of the 
investigation.  The Financial Supervisory Commission, which 
regulates the financial services industry, has stated that no such 
evidence has been discovered after a two-day initial investigation. 
It is likely, however, that investigations are continuing. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶15.  (SBU)  The simple fact that the former president's family has 
US$21 million in overseas accounts may be almost as important to the 
Taiwan public as whether or not Chen or his family members actually 
broke the law.  Most people in Taiwan would readily acknowledge that 
questionable dealings and undisclosed transfers were widespread in 
the administrations that preceded Chen.  However, in Taiwan's 
developing democracy, voters are now less tolerant of such behavior 
and expect public officials to be held accountable for their 
actions.  Many of Chen's original supporters may find it especially 
difficult to accept that a president who was seen as promoting 
Taiwan identity and led the attack on KMT corruption could allow his 
family to transfer large sums overseas.  It is too early to predict 
where these investigations will lead -- more money?  -- more 
indictments? -- or dead ends?  Just the same, public expectations 
are rising and Taiwan politicians can no longer count on hiding 
questionable activities. 
WANG