Taiwanese court jails former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je for 17 years for corruption
Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je arrives at court ahead of the verdict on the corruption trial in Taipei, Taiwan, on Thursday.
Photo: Reuters Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday for taking bribes and misusing political donations, dealing a heavy blow to the opposition party he built.
Ko, who founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in 2019 and finished last in a three-way race for the island’s top political job in 2024, did not plead guilty, according to Taiwanese media reports.
The TPP is the third-biggest party in Taiwanese politics and has been in talks with the larger Kuomintang (KMT) to join forces in November’s local elections, a midterm contest could lay the groundwork for cooperation to challenge the DPP in 2028.
In addition to the jail sentence, Ko was banned from running for public office for six years, the court said.
Prosecutors had sought a combined jail term of 28½ years for various offences, including during the defendant’s time as mayor between 2014 and 2022.
Ko was accused of taking NT$17.1 million (US$530,000) in bribes from Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing in return for granting an illegal increase in a project’s floor-area ratio.
He was also accused of involvement in the embezzlement of more than NT$68 million in political donations to the TPP and a company linked to the party, and the misuse of around NT$8.27 million in donations for a social welfare foundation for his presidential campaign.
Throughout the investigation and trial, Ko maintained his innocence, dismissing the proceedings as “political manipulation” and refusing to give testimony.
Supporters of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je chant slogans outside Taipei District Court in Taipei on Thursday.
Photo: EPA The court’s verdict derails Ko’s chances of running for the island’s leadership in 2028.
Under Taiwan’s election law, people who have been convicted of corruption, or who are facing charges leading to death sentences, life imprisonment, or imprisonment of 10 years or more, cannot become candidates.
According to Taiwan’s China Times, Lin Chun-hsien, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said the sentence “effectively eliminated” the TPP from the 2028 campaign.
Ko stepped down as chairman of the TPP in January 2025, several months after he was detained, and was replaced by Huang Kuo-chang, who has also described the charges against the party’s founder as “politically motivated”.
After bei
原文链接: 南华早报