Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, whose approval rating has sunk to new lows, apologised on Saturday over an insider trading scandal implicating his son-in-law.
A string of scandals involving Chen's family and a former staff member have hurt the image of the president, whose victory in the 2000 election ended five decades of one-party rule.
"First of all, I must humbly and very responsibly extend my deepest apology to all my compatriots, democrats of the older generation and party comrades," Chen told reporters.
"Regarding criticism from all circles, Ah Bian and members of my family must learn from and deeply examine our mistakes with an open mind," Chen said, referring to his nickname.
Chao, a doctor married to Chen's daughter, quit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Thursday. He apologised but denied any wrongdoing and offered to donate to charity part of the tens of millions of Taiwan dollars his mother made from trading shares in real estate developer Taiwan Development Corp.