Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian on Friday quit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after money laundering allegations against him and his family surfaced this week.
"I have to say sorry to DPP members and supporters with a heavy heart. I let everybody down and caused irreparable damage to the party. This was not my intention but I made mistakes," Chen said in a statement.
"To show my deepest remorse, my wife Wu Shu-chen and I leave the DPP from now," he said.
The statement came hours after Taiwan's premier, Liu Chao-shiuan, confirmed an investigation had been launched into the money laundering claims apparently implicating the Chen family, following similar moves by Swiss authorities. Swiss prosecutors "have requested assistance in their investigation and we have immediately started our own probe," Liu told reporters.
The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office sent a top official to Switzerland earlier this week "to exchange views" with the authorities there, said spokesman Fred Lin.
The former president admitted that his wife Wu Shu-chen had wired abroad 20 million USD from his past campaign funds, saying she had done so without his knowledge.
Copies of Swiss documents obtained by Kuomintang lawmaker Hung Hsiu-chu showed that Chen's son Chen Chih-chung and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching had transferred 31 million USD to Huang's Swiss bank accounts in 2007.
The couple left Taiwan on August 9 before the case came to light, according to Taiwanese authorities.
Their whereabouts are not immediately clear and the allegation is that some of the 31 million may have come from Chen's campaign funds and state coffers.
Chen has denied money laundering.
A string of corruption scandals implicating Chen, his family and top DPP officials has tarnished the party's image and played a part in the party's defeat in the March presidential vote.
DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen also apologised to the public and said the party would not cover up for Chen.
Chen is already under investigation for allegedly embezzling 14.8 million Taiwan dollars (480,500 US) in special expenses from the government while he was president, and his wife is on trial for corruption and document forgery in the same case.
He was named a suspect in that case in 2006 but escaped immediate prosecution because he had presidential immunity.
The ex-president was questioned Tuesday over the embezzlement allegations, a week after his successor Ma Ying-jeou declassified documents allegedly implicating him.
Chen has admitted using false receipts to claim money from the state, but insisted those funds were used for "secret diplomatic missions" and not his personal benefit.
Nevertheless, prosecutors found that at least 1.5 million Taiwan dollars had been spent on diamond rings and other luxury items for his wife.
Prosecutors launched a probe against Chen on May 20 -- the day he left office after his second and final four-year term.
Source: AFP
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