Taiwan's former first lady, the alleged mastermind behind a multi-million dollar fraud, yesterday admitted falsifying receipts to claim money from a special state fund, but denied bribery and embezzlement.

Wu Shu-chen, the visibly frail and wheelchair-bound wife of former president Chen Shui-bian, appeared in court for the first time since she fainted halfway through her first court appearance more than two years ago.

“I greatly regret wasting so much of society's time and effort . . . from now on I will appear in court whenever I am called,” she said outside the court.

Before yesterday Ms Wu had refused 17 court summonses, citing ill health. However, she agreed last month to attend trial after her son pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.

Ms Wu and her husband are at the centre of the country's biggest corruption case, which allegedly spans Mr Chen's eight years in office and has severely tarnished the image of a family once seen as a symbol of Taiwan's democracy.

An active political figure in her youth, Ms Wu was often seen campaigning alongside her husband as Mr Chen rose through the ranks of the opposition Democratic Progressive party to become Taipei mayor in 1994.

In 2000 the charismatic Mr Chen was elected president, ending six decades of rule by the nationalist Kuomintang party.

Mr Chen's term as president saw a rapid deterioration in relationships with Beijing as he pushed for Taiwanese independence despite communist China's assertion of sovereignty over the island of 23m people.

In the later years of his rule, Mr Chen and his family were increasingly accused of corruption and the misuse of power.

Prosecutors accuse the Chen family of embezzling and laundering millions of dollars from a fund intended for Taiwan's secretive “chequebook diplomacy”, aimed largely at securing the diplomatic backing of small nations around the world. They are also accused of accepting kick-backs from contractors bidding on government construction projects.

台湾前第一夫人吴淑珍昨日承认为了认领国务机要费而伪造发票，但否认受贿和侵吞公款。吴淑珍被指控为一宗巨额欺诈案背后的主谋。

这位前总统陈水扁的夫人坐在轮椅上，看上去很虚弱。这是她在两年多前首次出庭期间晕倒以来第一次出庭。

吴淑珍在法庭外表示，本案耗费巨大社会成本，她深感歉意，以后开庭她会随传随到。

在昨日之前，吴淑珍以健康不佳为由，17次拒绝接受庭审。不过，在她的儿子承认洗钱指控后，她于上月同意出庭。

吴淑珍和陈水扁置身于台湾最大腐败案的中心，根据指控，陈水扁的腐败行为贯穿其八年总统任期，这已严重玷污了全家的形象。陈水扁一家曾被视为台湾民主的标志。

吴淑珍在年轻时是一位活跃的政治人物，常常陪同丈夫参加竞选活动，伴随着陈水扁在反对党民进党内部一度晋升，在1994年成为台北市长。

2000年，具有政治魅力的陈水扁当选为台湾总统，结束了国民党60年的统治。

陈水扁主政期间，台湾与北京的关系快速恶化，因为他企图推动台湾独立，而共产党执政的中国大陆宣称对有2300万人口的台湾拥有主权。

在总统任期的后期，陈水扁及其家人日益受到腐败和滥用职权的指控。

检方指控陈水扁一家从一个基金巨额侵吞和洗钱，该基金旨在用于台湾秘密“金钱外交”，主要是争取世界各地一些小国的外交支持。他们还被控从投标承建政府工程的建筑商那里收受回扣。