Taiwan Ex-president's aide on graft charges

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) One more close aide of former President Chen Shui-bian was taken into custody Tuesday for suspected embezzlement of public funds during Chen's presidency. 

   Ma Yung-cheng, a former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general who used to be known as Chen's right-hand man, was held incommunicado after being subpoenaed by prosecutors and  questioned for nearly seven hours earlier in the day -- for the first time as a suspect -- in a probe into a "special state affairs fund" misappropriation case involving the former president and his wife. 

   The Taipei District Court granted the request from prosecutors at the Special Investigation Division under the Supreme Prosecutors Office to detain Ma out of concern that he could tamper with evidence in the case, a court ruling said. 

   It added that Ma was also eligible for detention because the crime he is suspected of committing carries a sentence of more than five years in prison. 

   Former first lady Wu Shu-jen was indicted in late 2006 for using other people's uniform invoices to claim reimbursements worth more than NT$14 million from a "special state affairs fund" budgeted for the president's discretionary use for official purposes. Chen was listed as a co-defendant in that case, but was spared indictment because he had presidential immunity at the time. 

   Since Chen stepped down from the presidency May 20, prosecutors have stepped up investigations into his role in the graft case and has barred the former president from traveling abroad. 

   While charging Wu with embezzlement, prosecutors also indicted Ma for forgery for having helped Wu claim reimbursements from the "special state affairs fund" using invoices belonging to other people. 

   According to government regulations, half of the "special state affairs fund" can be claimed just with signature of the president, while claims for the remaining half must be backed with receipts or invoices. 

   In investigating Chen's role in the embezzlement case, prosecutors had summoned Ma for questioning several times as a witness, but they decided to change Ma's status to that of a suspect after they discovered that Ma had lined his own pockets with money that came from the former president's "special state affairs fund." 

   Prosecutors said they suspect that more than NT$50 million claimed with the former president's signature might have found its way into the pockets of Chen or his aides for private use. 

   Two of Chen's other close aides -- Lin Teh-hsun and Chen Chen-hui -- have also been held incommunicado in the probe. 

   Chen and his family are also being investigated for suspected money laundering. (By Sofia Wu) ENDITEM/J