Taiwan Chen's son-in-law charged

Chao Chien-ming has denied the allegations

The son-in-law of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has been charged with insider trading, reports say.

Prosecutors indicted Chao Chien-ming, 34, over a deal involving a Taipei property company.

The move comes as a further blow to Mr Chen, who has seen his popularity plummet amid a series of scandals involving his family and close aides.

Last month he survived an unprecedented parliamentary attempt by the opposition Kuomintang to oust him from office.

Prosecutors say the Mr Chao used inside knowledge to profit from the purchase of shares in a partly state-owned property company.

They are seeking an eight-year sentence for the businessman, who was arrested in May. He denies the charges.

Six others were also charged in connection with the case, Taiwan's Central News Agency said.

Insider trading

Mr Chen's circle has been hit by a series of allegations. His wife, Wu Shu-chen, is accused of accepting gift vouchers from a department store.

Last week, one of his former senior advisers was charged with insider trading and corruption.

The opposition Kuomintang, or Nationalist, party says that Mr Chen must take responsibility for the scandals, even though he has not been implicated.

More than half Taiwan's legislators backed a motion in June to recall him - the first such motion in the country's history.

But the motion fell short of the two-thirds majority it required to pass.