Anatomy of a smear accusing Chen Shui-bian of hanky-panky in Palau. From two days ago:Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) The Special Investigation Division (SID) of Taiwan's Supreme Prosecutors Office said Wednesday that as of now they have no evidence indicating former President Chen Shui-bian had any involvement in a mysterious fund deposited in Palau, but prosecutors said that if necessary, they will request Palau's government provide information on the US$41 million.Keep this information from earlier this week in mind when you read this China Post article of December 3, 2008:
Speculations of Chen's involvement in the fund fanned by Taiwan's media after Palau's President Johnson Toribiong said in an interview with local television channel, TVBS, on Monday that a fund of US$41 million had been remitted from his country's Pacific Saving Bank, which has gone bankrupt, to an unspecified overseas bank in 2005.
Toribiong said the fund was deposited in that bank one year before Chen's visit to Palau. Although Toribiong said he was not sure whether the fund has anything to do with Chen, Taiwanese media have suggested that there might be a connection.
But the SID said in a statement Wednesday that even if there was such a transaction, it is hard to identify the relation between the transaction and the money laundering case of the former first family.
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Former President Chen Shui-bian smuggled cash aboard his Air Force One to Palau, where the money was laundered, Kuomintang lawmaker Chiu Yi charged yesterday.[MT: Chiu Yi, the convicted felon whose charges are never right.]From Dec 4 article in response to the one above, in which Chen and the Air Force (an incidental victim of the smear) angrily denied the charges:
Chen paid a state visit to Koror from Sept. 3 to 6, 2006. He flew there aboard Air Force One, which returned to Taipei without him. He later took a commercial flight to return to Taipei.
At least NT$170 million (US$5.17 million) was aboard the presidential jet, the expose expert legislator said. The plane took off from Songshan Air Force Base, where no luggage was checked.[MT: But the President of Palau said the money was deposited a year before Chen got there, in 2005.]
The Chinese-language China Times said yesterday that "its understanding" was that the SIP found, through the information obtained from the flash disk of former presidential treasurer Chen Chen-hui, that the former first family has a "secret account" at the First Bank in Palau.[MT: Remember, SIP has now said it has no evidence Chen is connected to this money. So either the leaker is lying, or China Times is just making stuff up.]Two months ago in the Taipei Times:
Investigators suspected that NT$170 million of that account might have come from financial holding firms or communications companies, the report said.
The report described the former president's residence as an "international financial trading center" as the transactions were rife during the time of the former president's state visit. The report said the SIP was planning to subpoena Michael Chang, former chairman of the First Bank.
Meanwhile, the Air Force yesterday denied allegations that it helped Chen by sending the cash.
"The Air Force strictly abided by the rules in operating the presidential jet and did not do anything outside the law," it said.
Citing the denials from the Air Force, the First Bank and Chen's then security chief, Chen's office called on the accuser to produce his or her evidence to the SIP instead of speaking on behalf of the SIP.[MT: SIP now says it has no evidence that Chen was connected to that money. Not only that, but a connection would be hard to prove. Flash disk with the secret account information? What are you talking about?]
SIP not looking into Palau bank deposit claim against ChenA quick search will find this interesting tale, full of contradictions and false claims, to have ensconced itself around the web. The reality is contained in the terse sentences from the SID:
MORE ALLEGATIONS: ‘Next Magazine’ said that the former president may have taken US$40 million with him on a trip to Palau and deposited it there [MT: The President may have taken $40 million to Palau and deposited it there. The President may also have taken the carcass of an alien from Area 51, the entire genealogical records of the crowned heads of Europe, and the formula for Coke, and left them in Palau. Chen is truly a clever man, having eluded reporters domestic and international, his security, stray airmen aboard Air Force One, along with assorted paparazzi, bank customers, and KMT agents, to walk into a bank in Palau with $40 million (or $5 million, let's not be picky about details) in cash. Because you know how often heads of states walk into banks in Palau, and nobody notices. I bet they get five or six a day.]
Thursday, Sep 03, 2009, Page 3
Prosecutors investigating former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday denied they were looking into allegations that the former president deposited US$40 million in laundered funds in a bank account in Palau.[MT: Whose allegations?]
Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南), spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigation Panel (SIP) said prosecutors were not probing the allegations, but hinted that “other units” were looking into the matter.
When asked what units were investigating the allegations, Chen Yun-nan declined to comment.[MT: Other units indeed! Those unidentified other units are so useful, if they didn't exist, they would have to be invented to keep that smear up!]
The Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine yesterday said that when Chen visited Palau in September 2006, he may have taken US$40 million with him and deposited it in Palau’s National Development Bank.
The bank received a large deposit in one of its accounts during Chen’s visit, the magazine said.[MT: When was that money deposited? Oh yeah, 2005, says Palau's President, a year before Chen landed on Palau's fair shores. Oh yeah, the money was remitted to a US bank the year before Chen came to Palau, says the President of Palau.]
The magazine said US officials suspect money laundering because the US$40 million was then wired to accounts in the US through several transactions. [MT: Because everyone knows if there is money laundering in Palau, Chen Shui-bian is conducting it. He launders money when he is not causing earthquakes, hurricanes, and injuries to Wang Chien-ming's pitching arm. And why is the US watching Palau? Could it be because Palau was sanctioned in 2000 for money laundering problems, a common problem among Pacific Islands?]
...they have no evidence indicating former President Chen Shui-bian had any involvement in a mysterious fund deposited in Palau...Nevertheless, I'm sure it will be repeated as gospel from now on that Chen deposited a hundred million billion zillion dollars, along with the jewels of Romanovs and several tons of Inca gold, in an account in Palau.*
....even if there was such a transaction, it is hard to identify the relation between the transaction and the money laundering case of the former first family....
*Disclaimer for yammerheads operating in dichotomous brainless thought frameworks: that Chen is smeared does not mean he is innocent. Nothing in this post should be construed as me advocating a position for or against Chen or on his innocence or guilt. I'm as certain as you are that he caused the Dark Ages, the Fall of Rome, and Sauron's agents to find the Ring, and probably makes the chocolate melt in your hand, not in your mouth, as well. No animals were harmed in the making of this post.
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And should we also throw in for good measure the latest allegation that Chen didn't bleed when was was almost assassinated?
ReplyDeleteI think the KMT Premier's trip to Bali with the head of one of Asia's largest organized crime organizations has got the KMT throwing up a lot of distractions.
"yammerheads operating in dichotomous brainless thought frameworks"
ReplyDeleteGet the insults in first for anyone who might disagree with the gospel according to Turton. Unproven allegations and smears are a part of Taiwanese politics. Was Soong smeared because many of the allegations against him were never proven? Wu Den-yih because he never had that affair?
"[MT: Chiu Yi, the convicted felon whose charges are never right.]"
ReplyDeleteYeah you're always right then eh ?
That pix in a Korean gambling isle was also wrong then?
I think you are 'becoming' a very biased man.
Well it's up to Chiu Yi if he considers your claim libelous :)
ATOQ
Who killed Chen Yi Hsiung?
ReplyDeleteOh yes he drowned and maybe MT agrees?
ATOQ
Michael, perhaps you should have added the false claims this week made by prosecutors about the amount of money the Chen family is holding in personal bank accounts.
ReplyDeleteFormer first lady receives apology from prosecutors - Taipei Times, 9 Nov 2009
MT you seen to be in a race to the bottom with the Taiwanese media. You used to have credibility but it now seems to be gone or at least going quickly.
ReplyDeleteYour recent posts are looking more like something I'd see in China Post or Taipei Times (in terms of journalistic quality that is, not editorial stance with CP).
Congratulations. If you're trying to become a laughing stock, you're well on the way.
Take another break for a month, carefully compare your writing of a couple of years ago with your writing today and hopefully you'll see what I mean. I do hope the MT I used to enjoy reading, and trust to be fairly accurate makes a reappearance soon.
Was Soong smeared because many of the allegations against him were never proven? Wu Den-yih because he never had that affair?
ReplyDeleteWith logical powers at that level, no wonder you're a troll.
ReplyDeleteYeah you're always right then eh ?
Yes, that's right, if I say Chiu Yi is always wrong, it must mean I am always right.
Unusual amount of trolls out tonight.
Well I for one thought your post to be very entertaining and an informative summary of events but then I'm just a biased and reactionary gutter media type like those who write in the CP and TT.
ReplyDeleteI guess I can be smug because I started at the bottom as a laughing stock ... jump in, the water's still warm ;)
Got to love those Anons though, the bravery it takes to not put your money where your mouth is ....
"Was Soong smeared because many of the allegations against him were never proven? Wu Den-yih because he never had that affair?"
ReplyDeleteRight back at you: Does this mean that Chen was not smeared? If not, then what is your point?
"Was Soong smeared because many of the allegations against him were never proven? Wu Den-yih because he never had that affair?"
ReplyDeleteRight back at you: Does this mean that Chen was not smeared? If not, then what is your point?
So maybe in the interests of balance MT will be making an angry post next time someone in the KMT is "smeared"
He could end it like this:
*Disclaimer for yammerheads operating in dichotomous brainless thought frameworks: that Soong is smeared does not mean he is innocent. Nothing in this post should be construed as me advocating a position for or against Soong or on his innocence or guilt. I'm as certain as you are that he caused the Dark Ages, the Fall of Rome, and Sauron's agents to find the Ring, and probably makes the chocolate melt in your hand, not in your mouth, as well. No animals were harmed in the making of this post.
Right back at you: Does this mean that Chen was not smeared? If not, then what is your point?
ReplyDeleteChen's son and daughter in law sure has a lot of campaign contributions in oversea bank accounts. Wait, I though they suppose to wire it back. Why Taiwan government don't just charge them with tax evasion and get it over with. It is sad that the law is not enforced on EITHER ENDs (by these I mean KMT, too; and you guys are already crying political prosecution).