Taiwan prosecutors on Friday indicted the island leader Chen Shui-bian's wife on corruption and forgery charges, prompting unprecedented pressure in Taiwan for Chen to step down.

At a media briefing Friday afternoon, a spokesman of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office said Wu Shu-chen, Chen's wife, was being charged with embezzlement, forgery of documents and perjury, involving 14.8 million New Taiwan dollars (448,500 U.S. dollars).

Three former aides of Chen, close aide Ma Yong-cheng, Lin Teh-shun and an accountant Chen Chen-hui, were also indicted on charges involving the allegedly mishandling of a secret office fund, prosecutor Chang Wen-cheng said.

Prosecutors claimed to have evidence to indict Chen on charges of graft and forgery of documents in connection with the secret fund, but as the Taiwan leader he is immune from criminal charges and a formal indictment against him will have to await the end of his term in 2008.

The leadership of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party met late on Friday to deprive Wu and the other three indicted of exercising rights as DPP members. The party's discipline committee was to investigate the four.

The DPP leadership has demanded Chen give a public explanation of the questions prosecutors raised in the indictment letter. The DPP will also make public apology for the corruption scandal.

Chen or Wu did not make public appearance to talk about the indictment on Friday.

The 120-day investigation into the case which was launched on June 29 involved the summoning of 276 witnesses, Chang said.

Another person in Chen's office and a businessman were also charged with fabricating evidence and violating commercial laws, but would be indicted later.

Some of the defendants had been prohibited from traveling abroad, said prosecutors.

Wu's indictment brought a unprecedented outcry from the island's opposition parties and protestors for the scandal-dogged leader to quickly step down.

Chen had lost the trust and respect of the Taiwan people and could no longer represent Taiwan because the case, therefore he must resign, chairman of the Kuomintang Party Ma Ying-jeou said at a press conference in the wake of announcement of Wu's indictment.

He said the leadership of Kuomintang had decided at an emergency meeting to hold a mass rally on Sunday afternoon around Chen's office in Taipei. "If Chen does not resign in 48 hours, the Kuomintang will file the motion to oust him next week," Ma said.

"It is time for the DPP to be clear with its members and be brave and responsible to urge Chen to resign," he noted.

James Soong, chairman of the smaller opposition People First Party (PFP), said he had met Ma late on Friday and he would join Ma in signing the motion to oust Chen.

He said Kuomintang and the PFP called for Chen Shui-bian to step down unconditionally and wait for the results of the investigation.

It might take a long time to oust Chen, but the DPP should realize that the longer the process took, the deeper Taiwan would sink into a political crisis, local media quoted Soong as saying.

Previously, Chen had survived two ousting motion as DPP opposed and Taiwan Solidarity Union, a DPP ally, wavered in the "Legislature Yuan."

But the Taiwan Solidarity Union said late on Friday that it would back the motion against Chen if it came up again in the island's "Legislature Yuan".

Youth associations of the DPP said they were "sad and enraged" about the scandal of Chen's family. They asked Chen to step down and the DPP to kick off Chen, his wife, and other party members involved in scandal.

Meanwhile, anti-Chen demonstrators have gathered at the Taipei Railway Station to celebrate the charges by sounding horns and setting off firecrackers, calling on Chen to resign from his office.

Leader of the demonstration Shih Ming-teh, former chairman of the DPP, said he would reveal future protest plans soon.

The anti-Chen demonstration initiated by Shih began on Sept. 9.

Last month, hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese, dressed in red and shouting slogans, took to the streets for a grand rally in Taipei calling for the resignation of Chen Shui-bian.

The total number of people joining in the mass sit-in has reached 1.5 million, according the latest report by the headquarters of the rally.

Source: Xinhua