TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges Thursday, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of the island’s capital.
Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting bribes related to a real estate development during his time in office, according to the prosecutors’ statement. He’s also accused of embezzling political donations.
If convicted on all charges, he faces a possible 28.5 years in jail.
Core to the case is a development owned by Core Pacific City group in Taipei. Prosecutors say Ko allowed the company to evade city building regulations in exchange for bribes.
“The defendant, Ko, violated his vow as a mayor to not accept bribes, and abide by our national laws. Instead, Ko intended to help the group obtain billions of dollars in illegal benefits, while collecting millions in bribes,” said Kao Yi-shu, the lead prosecutor, while unveiling the charges Thursday.
While Ko could not be reached, he has previously denied the allegations of bribery and corruption. His party said the charges were a case of political persecution.
“With this kind of abuse of power, the government is being reduced to a political thug,” said Lin Fu-nan, a member of the TPP’s central committee. “We call on the black hand of politics not to reach into the judiciary.”
Ko, a former doctor, burst onto the political scene to win Taipei’s 2014 mayoral race. He served two terms from 2014 to 2022.
Ko founded the TPP in 2019 as an alternative to the two-party system, promising a break from politics as usual.
He ran for President this year. Despite finishing third, he attracted attention for his appeal to young voters. Taiwan’s politics is mostly dominated by two main political parties, the Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang) and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Ko’s Taiwan People’s Party, while small, is allied with the Kuomingtang in Taiwan’s legislature and helped it pass three laws last week that critics say have paralyzed the Constitutional Court and will weaken Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s ability to carry out his political agenda.
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Wu reported from Bangkok.