TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said his party will not protect Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) amid political scandals just because she is a party member.

On Wednesday (Sept. 13), the TPP announced it had established a third party platform for reporting political misdeeds. However, during a press conference for the launch, Ko faced questions about allegations laid against Kao.

Ko said he was made aware of the allegations on Tuesday, and he joked that the new reporting system had come online just in time to review Kao’s actions. He said the party will not ignore its members' wrongdoing, and it will confront issues as they come.

Kao has been accused of abusing the powers of her office in collaboration with her boyfriend, who is not a city government employee. The scandal enveloping the Hsinchu mayor began on Monday when a former city government employee made a Facebook post about a NT$50 million mansion (US$1.56 million) and luxury cars that Kao allegedly possessed.

Kao also appeared in court on Tuesday to explain accusations of plagiarism, and she was also charged with unrelated corruption offenses in April.