TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) responded on Wednesday (Sept. 18) to Mirror Media’s allegation that personal contributions to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the then TPP presidential candidate, were connected to the Core Pacific Group (CPG).
Mirror Media reported that prosecutors discovered unidentified cash flow from the CPG subsidiary Core Pacific Development Corporation when the floor area ratio for a project increased from 392% to 560%, and again when it rose to 840%. The report highlighted alleged irregularities in personal contributions to Ko during his 2024 presidential bid.
The outlet noted that substantial anonymous donations totaling NT$195 million (US$6 million) were made between November 2023 and January 2024, with 93% of contributions to Ko coming in cash. Citing an anonymous source, the report claimed that Core Pacific Chair Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) had the commercial acumen to evade investigation through cash transactions.
In response, Ko’s campaign manager and TPP Legislator Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) acknowledged errors in the campaign’s financial transparency and compliance submissions, echoing Ko’s earlier comments during an interview with Radio Taiwan International on Aug. 18. However, she clarified that donations under NT$10,000 can be made anonymously and that all contributions have transaction records to verify their authenticity, per CNA.
TPP Spokesperson Wu I-hsuan (吳怡萱) criticized Mirror Media for framing previously clarified allegations as potential unknown cash flow from the CPG. She also criticized the Taipei Prosecutor’s Office (TPO) for allegedly leaking information about its ongoing investigation.
Wu pointed out that the article seemed to contain information only accessible to investigators, urging the TPO to clarify whether it leaked details to influence public discourse or if the paper had an insider source. TPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) supported Wu’s remarks, calling for the TPO to clarify whether the report was fabricated or if there was indeed a leak from the investigation.
During Ko’s interview with RTI, he acknowledged that many donations to his campaign contained obvious errors, stating that it is illogical for the majority of contributions to come in cash, especially from a younger supporter base. He pledged to establish a financial oversight committee to monitor the campaign's cash flow, expressing surprise that such a function was not already in place.
Ko also said outsourcing the party’s accounting without maintaining internal records was a significant oversight issue.
