TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chair and founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is dealing with a series of political scandals.
In one case, Ko’s presidential campaign said it paid NT$9.16 million (US$284,000) to two companies contracted to organize events, per Nikkei Asia. The contractors claimed they did not receive the funds.
On Monday (Aug. 12), Ko’s campaign team held a press conference and claimed there were 17 cases of misreporting from presidential campaign accountant Tuanmu Cheng (端木正). The Control Yuan has started an investigation into the matter.
Ko also rejected the allegations of corruption on Monday. He said Tuanmu cut corners and no funds “went into anyone's pockets.”
In a separate case, when Ko was Taipei mayor, he allegedly changed the floor area ratio for Core Pacific City Mall from 392% to 840%, reported The Diplomat. This would have given the developer a financial windfall.
Prosecutors summoned Ko’s deputy mayor, Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), on Monday for questioning regarding the case and have barred him from leaving Taiwan. They accused Pong of abusing his position and violating the Anti-Corruption Act.
According to a survey released on Aug. 1, support for the TPP was 6%, down 10 points from the poll taken from June to July of 2023, reported Nikkei Asia.
Additionally, former TPP Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) was convicted of corruption on July 26. She had been indicted on suspicion of embezzling public funds during her time as a legislator.
National Chengchi University (NCCU) Professor Li Shih-hui (李世暉) said young people who have been the base support for the TPP are now backing away. “This is a situation that threatens survival,” he added.
Meanwhile, the TPP’s disciplinary committee met Friday (Aug. 16) to discuss the punishment against members involved in the political donation case, per CNA. After two hours of deliberation, they reached no conclusions.
