Former Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian admitted on Thursday that he failed to fully declare his campaign funds and his wife had transferred some of the remaining funds abroad without telling him.

"My conscience told me that I shouldn't continue to cheat myself and others." Chen told a press conference, adding he had decided to be frank that he had done something "not allowed by law".

He said he had untruthfully declared the amount of campaign funds for four of his mayoral and Taiwan leader elections.

"Only earlier this year did my wife admit that she had transferred some campaign money abroad," he said.

Chen, however, did not disclose the amount of funds remitted overseas and denied any corruption during his tenure.

His statement came after both news media reports and a Kuomintang senior member Hung Hsiu-chu pointed out that Chen remitted large sum of money abroad through his daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching.

Taiwan's judicial authority confirmed on Thursday that the Swiss judicial authorities had sought Taiwan's assistance in probing the source of Chen's son and daughter-in-law's money as they suspected it could be a money laundering case.

On Tuesday, Taiwan prosecutors questioned Chen for the second time for his alleged role in a special government fund embezzlement case.

Tuesday's questioning came after Taiwan authority on August 6 declassified the documents relating to Chen's use of special expenses, saying they contained no secrets.

Chen ended his tenure as Taiwan leader in May this year.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)