Taiwan presidential office seeks to limit Wu trial

TAIPEI, Jan 12 (Reuters) Taiwan's presidential office argued in court today that official documents be excluded from the graft trial of the first lady until her husband, the president, reviews them for possible state secrets.

The documents could lead to the conviction of First Lady Wu Shu-chen on charges of embezzling T.8 million (2,000) and spending it on brand-name clothes, expensive meals and diamond rings.

President Chen Shui-bian has said the money from a fund set up for secret diplomacy went on legitimate government business.

Chen, shielded from prosecution by his position, has said he would resign if his wife was found guilty.

Lawyers on the 11-person defence team told a panel of judges at a pre-trial hearing that the president should review the disputed documents before the court examines them.

''Please tell me, other than this case, are there any others that have to violate the privacy of the people involved?'' defence lawyer Gu Lee-hsiung told a packed Taipei courtroom.

''All cases should respect the privacy of the people involved.'' Wu, who has been using a wheelchair since an accident in 1985, was absent from the hearing due to poor health. She has been excused from attending since she fainted on the first day.

The six-person prosecution team argued that many of the documents challenged by the defence did not contain secrets.

The three judges asked that three officials from the president's staff attend the next hearing to discuss the state secret issue.

The documents, already in the hands of prosecutors and the judges, have not been released to the public.

Wu's indictment has hurt the president's image and hobbled his Democratic Progressive Party, formed 20 years ago on a populist platform of clean government and advocacy for Taiwan's formal independence from China.

A prosecutor said in November there was enough evidence to indict Chen for corruption if his status as president had not given him immunity.

Wu and three current or former presidential aides on trial with her have pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to take up to 16 months.

REUTERS PD BS1420