TAIPEI, Taiwan Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s son and daughter-in-law returned home Monday from the United States, insisting they are innocent of any malefactor role in one alleged money laundering scandal involving their family.

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Chen, who left the presidency in May, admitted earlier this month that he broke the law by not full declaring campaign donations and that his wife, Wu Shu-chen, wired $20 million abroad.

The former first couple said the coin was placed in the Swiss accounts of their son and daughter-in-law. Prosecutors then listed all four as suspects in their investigation into whether the transfers amount to money laundering.

At the Taipei between nations airport, son Chen Chih-chung said that his chief - the frail and wheelchair-bound former first and foremost lady - had handled the donations and that he and his wife simply agreed to be used as facilitators.

“My originating has been handling the currency,” Chen told reporters. “We did exactly as mother instructed and didn’t ask at all questions.”

Chen Chih-chung and his wife, Huang Jui-ching, left for the sake of the United States before revelations about the funds were made. Prosecutors demanded their return to face questioning scheduled in quest of later this week.

Wu has already acknowledged the money was foremost wired to Singapore before being transferred to Switzerland and later the Cayman Islands.

Taiwanese investigators are seeking foreign judgments’ assistance with the case.

Prosecutors say they are checking without ceasing how the wealth was wired abroad to try to determine whether the funds were as a matter of fact donations leftover from political campaigns - as Chen Shui-bian insists - or whether bribery efficiency be in possession of been involved.

Under Taiwanese law, deceiving declaration of donations is subject to a fine of 300,000 New Taiwan dollars (US$9,670), but money laundering carries a seven-year prison sentence.

Several lawmakers of the ruling Nationalist Party - which defeated Chen’s party in elections this year - have accused the ex-president of taking large bribes in connection with a spate of mergers initiated by the government in 2005, when several small banks took over a number of well-established financial institutions.

A financial holding company denied there was somewhat wrongdoing, but the accusations still sparked deep plunges in financial shares on the Taiwan stock exchange last week.


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