TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TPP's Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) faces 28.5 years in prison for corruption charges announced on Thursday.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office, investigating the Core Pacific City and political donation cases, announced Ko was indicted on charges including bribery, profiteering, embezzlement, and breach of trust under the Anti-Corruption Act.
Prosecutors allege Ko accepted bribes and embezzled political donations, while they indicted eight others on related charges, including Core Pacific Chair Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), and former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲).
The indictment said Ko violated the pledges made under the mayor oath act, which requires adherence to national laws and prohibits accepting bribes. He is accused of attempting to provide illegal benefits worth tens of billions of New Taiwan dollars to corporations, accepting millions in bribes, and embezzling tens of millions in political donations.
After the investigation began, Ko was found in his office shredding notes containing instructions to accomplices about fleeing the country and internal audits of Muko Public Relations Company's finances. Prosecutors also noted his uncooperative attitude following the offenses.
The prosecutors specifically requested the following penalties:
- For accepting bribes in violation of duties while in office, 15 years of imprisonment, a fine of NT$50 million (US$1.5 million), and deprivation of citizen's rights for 10 years
- For embezzling political donations intended for the TPP, five years of imprisonment
- For using the Muko Public Relations Company to embezzle political donations, six years of imprisonment
- For breach of trust involving a charitable foundation, two years and six months of imprisonment
Prosecutors are seeking a combined sentence of 28 years and 6 months on the four charges.
