Former Taipei Mayor Ko Charged With Corruption, Faces Over 28 Years in Prison

TaiwanPlus News

Former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People's Party Ko Wen-je has been charged with accepting bribes and embezzling public funds. If found guilty, he faces up to 28 and a half years in prison.

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00:00Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe, who was once a rising star on Taiwan's political scene,

00:05has been charged with accepting bribes and embezzling public funds.

00:09The 65-year-old now faces up to 28 and a half years in prison.

00:15Tiffany Wong is following Kerr's case and joins us live from the district court where

00:19Kerr is today.

00:20Tiffany, what do we know about the charges?

00:24Hi, Reese.

00:27Former Taipei City Mayor Ko Wenzhe has been charged with several offenses under the crime

00:33of corruption, some regarding a construction project during his time as Taipei City Mayor,

00:40which prosecutors say he received over 500,000 U.S. dollars in bribes for.

00:45He's also facing charges for mishandling political donations during his unsuccessful bid for

00:52the presidency, regarding 2 million U.S. dollars there.

00:57Now, if found guilty, he could face up to 28 and a half years in jail.

01:03Kerr is a former doctor-turned-politician who gained popularity, especially among Taiwan's

01:09young people, with his third party, the Taiwan People's Party, providing a fresh voice in

01:15Taiwan's political scene, which has long been dominated by the ruling Democratic Progressive

01:20Party and the main opposition, Kuomintang.

01:24And during his bid for the presidency, he did receive 26 percent of the vote.

01:29That's a pretty significant number for a third party candidate.

01:33He has denied these allegations before, but he was held incommunicado for the past four

01:40months as prosecutors said that he could potentially try to destroy evidence or collude with others.

01:46And now today, he has been charged along with 10 others, including his former deputy

01:50mayor and the head of the construction company at the head of that project.

01:58And Tiffany, what does this mean for Kerr's political future and the future of his party?

02:04Well, there are some mixed opinions.

02:08Kerr definitely has a lot of supporters still, some who say that this prosecution is retaliation

02:15from the Democratic Progressive Party, who view Kerr and his Taiwan People's Party as

02:19a threat to their power.

02:21However, since undergoing, since the investigation into these allegations began, Kerr has lost

02:30some favor in the public, according to some polls.

02:34However, his party seems to have remained clear of that for now.

02:39Now, his party, the Taiwan People's Party, still has a significant role in the legislature,

02:45winning a small but significant eight seats in a legislature where there is no majority

02:50party.

02:51So they're actually able to play the role of tiebreaker in passing legislation.

02:58Now, while being held incommunicado, Kerr did receive special permission to submit a

03:03resignation letter from his position as chair of the Taiwan People's Party.

03:10It perhaps could be a move to try to distance himself from the party while he's undergoing

03:15these investigations.

03:16However, his party says that they did not receive the letter, and they are standing

03:21staunch in their support for him.

03:24They'll be watching this investigation closely to see if perhaps he can even return to the

03:28party later on.

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