Case Charging Former President Chen Dismissed：DPP Shames Legislature and Judiciary
United Daily News Editorial, July 17, 2022
The court of the second retrial on misuse of the state affairs fund by former President Chen Shui-bian dismissed the charges against Chen, his wife, and some others; this development is expected. The dismissal is the result as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) strongly pushed through an amendment to the Accounting Act in the Legislative Yuan in May. The state affairs funds case had unveiled a series of bribery scandals of the Chen family, started the action of one million red-shirt crowd surrounding the city to try toppling Chen Shui-bian, but this matter is ended by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen dismissing charges. History will remember: while the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was raging and when all people were fighting the disease in unison, the DPP was single-mindedly absolving the corruption case. By using democratic violence, the DPP put the legislative and judiciary branches on shame.
The state affairs funds case has been pending in the courts for 16 years, and the trial was suspended for the past six years because former President Chen pretended to be ill. Chen was unable to stand trial, but he could roam around Taiwan energetically and host broadcast programs to try to guide the country. Chen went to Taipei in April to hold a press conference to vent his grievances to the world, to bargain with the DPP, and to challenge the Tsai administration. As a result, the Tsai administration and the DPP yielded to Chen’s threat and quickly amended the law to dismiss charges against him. This is a shame on the Legislative Yuan and an ugly mark made by the DPP on the legislative history of the Republic of China.
The DPP amended the Accounting Act for Chen, and the Taiwan High Court revoked the suspension of trial to dismiss charges against Chen in state affairs funds case. The corrupt activities of the Chen family are too numerous to count. Although the Tsai administration acquitted the Chen family in state affairs funds cases, they cannot cover up so many illegal cases. The DPP stopped the prosecution of the state affairs funds cases, but they cannot conceal the big roadmap of Chen family’s money laundering. Although due to legislative amendment by the DPP, Chen and his wife were dismissed of the charges of embezzlement of public funds, making profits by acts belonging to official duties, and forgery of documents, yet Chen’s wife Wu Shu-jen, Chen’s son Chen Chih-chung, and Chen’s daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching were still sentenced for the offenses of money laundering.
Ridiculously, state affairs funds, a part of Chen family’s illegal gains of hundreds of millions of New Taiwan Dollars, will be missing from the whole picture. The money laundering sentences of Chen’s wife, his son and daughter-in-law also lack the portion of state affairs funds. Therefore, people will see that Chen’s son and daughter-in-law can hide the huge sum of money worldwide under the direction of Chen’s wife, and part of the money cannot be pursued because of the dismissal of charges against Chen.
Dismissal of charges does not mean innocence; it only means not punishable. The dismissal also cannot change the fact the Chen family is corrupt and the DPP’s ugly behavior to save Chen’s corruption. President Tsai at least got rid of a big political problem of the year-end local elections. In the past six years, the question of whether to pardon Chen has bothered the Tsai administration. Now the dismissal of charges of state affairs funds can answer the demand of hardline supporters of Taiwan independence. President Tsai sacrificed the dignity of legislative and judiciary branches, trampled democracy and clean values, but Chen will not be totally satisfied. State affairs funds case is not everything, Chen will continue to challenge the Taichung Prison, trample the judiciary system, and coerce the Tsai administration.
Actually, President Tsai not only solved the problems of the Chen family but also solved the problems of current and future presidents. The Special Investigation Unit was the main force to investigate the state affairs funds cases and Tsai dismantled it after assuming office. When the Accounting Act regulated the president’s use of state affairs funds, which entangled former President Chen in the lawsuit for 16 years, the DPP dismissed the charges and absolved the current and future presidents. Nevertheless, the DPP blamed the state affairs funds cases as shared historical burdens, passed the amendment by radical means, and later happily helped the Slovak visitors to reenact the fighting on the Legislative Yuan floor when the amendment was debated. The DPP does not care about its support for corruption and anti-democratic sentiment, but Taiwan’s democracy is disgraced.
Since the suspension of the trial of the state affairs funds case was revoked and the trial resumed, then why other trials of the Chen family including second financial reform, abetment of perjury, and state secrets are still suspended? The courts should quickly resume the trials. People want to see whether the judiciary can maintain the final justice. Even if President Tsai wants to pardon Chen, she could consider that only after Chen has been sentenced in all his cases. On what ground can the courts continue to delay the trials? The situation may remain changed unless President Tsai is really worried that she has to face the day when Chen is released.
Evil forces are on the rise; righteous forces are on the decline; and many evil things are happening. One member of the former Special Investigation Unit said, “What is the value of law? It cannot win over political bullying.” The dismissal of charges of the state affairs funds reflects Chen’s shameless political philosophy, it also witnesses Tsai administration’s executive covering up of corruption, legislative action in evil-doing, and judicial assistance of abuse of power.