Former Taiwan Presidential Candidate Ko Indicted for Graft

(Bloomberg) -- Ko Wen-je, a former Taiwanese presidential candidate, has been indicted on corruption charges tied to multiple scandals, including a property redevelopment project during his tenure as Taipei mayor.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office proposed a sentence exceeding 28 years for bribery and misappropriation of political donations, a spokesperson said at a briefing on Thursday. They also want Ko fined NT$50 million ($1.5 million).

Ko has denied wrongdoing and said he wasn’t involved in the decision to grant Core Pacific Group additional floor area in the redevelopment project. The conglomerate’s chairman, Sheen Ching-jing, who denies wrongdoing, is also facing prosecution and, potentially, 17 years in prison. 

The Taiwan People’s Party — which Ko co-founded in 2019 — denounced the indictment in a press briefing on Thursday. 

“Today, Taiwan is experiencing judicial injustice, with politics and state machinery being used to persecute political opponents,” TPP’s spokesperson Chen Chih-han said. The indictment “lacks financial evidence and concrete proof, relying solely on pieced-together claims to destroy political adversaries.” 

The party and its larger ally, the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, hold a joint majority in the legislature. They have pushed through several legal changes that DPP supporters say are meant to hinder President Lai Ching-te’s ability to govern the island, one of the critical flashpoints in US-China relations.

Ko’s case marks the latest in a series of corruption indictments against politicians. In August, former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan of Lai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party was charged for alleged graft. 

Ko finished third in the 2024 presidential election with about 27% of the vote, behind Lai and KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih. Ko this month announced he is resigning as TPP leader.

--With assistance from Cindy Wang.

(Adds indictment of company chairman in third paragraph and TPP comment from fourth.)

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