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TAIPEI - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has denied wrongdoing in his first public remarks since a government prosecutor accused him of corruption in the biggest political crisis of his six years in office.
Opposition politicians expressed disbelief and said they would keep up the pressure on Chen to step down.
The speech came two days after Chen's wife was indicted for embezzlement and forgery in a case involving the misuse of more than T$14.8 million ($671,,000) from a special government fund.
The prosecutor's office also said it believed there was sufficient evidence to pursue similar charges against Chen.
"I must ask everyone, could A-bian be this kind of crooked fellow?" Chen said in a TV address, referring to himself by his nickname.
"Would he need to use these kinds of corrupt methods, and over five years collect receipts, even for sums as little as T$129 ($5.85)?"
Chen, who has twice won elections campaigning for formal independence from China, is not due to leave office until 2008.
The main opposition Nationalists, or the Kuomintang, said on Friday they would go ahead with a parliamentary "recall" motion if Chen did not resign within 48 hours. If a motion is passed, it would lead to a referendum on whether to oust Chen.
A spokesman said Chen's words were unacceptable.
"We did not see any repentance from the president," he said. "We still want him to step down immediately
Chen added later that if his wife was found guilty, he would immediately resign. "I believe that history will return justice to me, and the judicial process will clear my name," he said.
'Buying time'
James Soong, chairman of the smaller opposition People First Party, said he did not believe that Chen would step down if his wife were convicted.
"He says he will step down if found guilty, but I think he's just trying to buy time," he said.
Shih Ming-teh, a former chairman of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party who has launched a major campaign calling on Chen to resign, also issued a one-sentence statement expressing his disappointment and hurt feelings.
Chen, who is protected from prosecution while in office, detailed specific allegations against him, including various sums of money, and derided the results of the investigation.
The charges against his wife breathed new life into attempts by the opposition Nationalist Party to oust Chen over scandals involving his family and close aides.
Several thousand people demonstrated against the president in the island's second-largest city, Kaohsiung, on Saturday and on Sunday the opposition organised a protest in the capital, Taipei.
But some analysts say that Chen, who has weathered months of street protests and attempts in parliament to force his exit, may survive.
"The president has presented his case and justified his use of the funds," said Andrew Yang, secretary general of the China Council of Advanced Policy Studies.
He predicted the DPP would stand behind Chen and any further efforts to oust him would fail. "Fundamentally he will survive out his term and continue to serve as president," he said.
The opposition parties, which have a slim majority in parliament, have failed to garner a two-thirds majority in two previous attempts to oust the president in June and October.
Analysts say that if there is a split within the DPP there could be enough votes in parliament to pass the motion.
- REUTERS
