台湾当局领导人陈水扁5日首次承认曾以他人的单据及发票来报销自己的公务机要费，同时，也承认家人曾间接收到来自商人李恒隆提供的Sogo百货公司礼券，但他声称自己没有涉嫌不法。陈水扁是到南太平洋岛国帕劳活动时，在媒体一再追问下作出上述表示的。他辩称，台湾当局有些“外交”机密工作不能经过当局“外交部”，一旦机密费不够用，就要“用其他单据发票把钱领出来”，但绝对没有纳入私人腰包。

Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian has for the first time admitted that he has used other people's receipts to write off his official expenses and that his family accepted free coupons from a local businessman to shop at the Sogo department store, according to media reports from Taiwan.   Chen made the confession in Palau on Tuesday, but insisted he has never been involved in illegal activities. Palau, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, is one of few foreign countries and regions that have maintained "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan. Some secret "diplomatic" work could not be conducted via Taiwan's "Foreign Ministry", so he used special funds, referring to the public money he wrote off with receipts he collected from other people. Chen admitted to the practice after journalists bombarded him with questions. All the money was been used for public purposes and none of the reimbursements went into his own pocket, he said. Chen declined to reply whether he would step down following this latest admission of apparent financial malpractice. Early this year, local procurators discovered a large number of receipts from unclear sources and shopping coupons from Sogo. In April, Chen's office declared that Chen would step down if he is found to be using other receipts to write off official expenses and receiving Sogo coupons. In related developments, local media and people in Taiwan have urged Chen to step down as he had threatened judicial departments and gone back on his own words. Some local newspapers editorials called him a "rascal". (Agencies)

Vocabulary:

write off: 抵消 free coupons: 礼券 archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean: 南太平洋岛国 step down: 下台 （英语点津陈蓓编辑）