TAIPEI (AFP) — A Taiwanese prosecutor has flown to Hong Kong as part of a investigation of former president Chen Shui-bian and his family for alleged money laundering, a report here said on Tuesday.
The Apple Daily said prosecutor Yueh Fang-ju, who left on Monday, had documents related to 20 dummy accounts allegedly set up by Chen's wife through her brother and friends in Hong Kong.
The report said prosecutors were probing whether some 200 million Taiwan dollars (6.25 million US) in those bank accounts came from state coffers.
It also quoted an unnamed prosecutor as saying prosecutors would have a clearer picture of the Chen family's overseas funds to wrap up their probe next month if information provided by Hong Kong "matched their expectations".
Chen Yun-nan, a spokesman for the special investigation unit, declined to comment on the report.
Besides Hong Kong, Taiwan has sought the assistance of Switzerland and Singapore in the probe into the money laundering claims.
The ex-president, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and brother-in-law have been named as defendants in the case.
According to Taiwanese prosecutors, some 21 million dollars was sent to Swiss bank accounts belonging to Chen's daughter-in-law in 2007 and was used to set up a business registered in the Cayman Islands for suspected money laundering.
The ex-president has admitted his wife wired 20 million US dollars abroad from his past campaign funds but said she did so without his knowledge.
He has denied laundering money.
Chen, who left office in May, is already being investigated for allegedly embezzling 14.8 million Taiwan dollars in special expenses while president and his wife is on trial in the same case.
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