Ko Wen-je, as soon as a rising star in Taiwanese politics and presidential contender, was indicted Thursday on corruption fees.
The 65-year-old is accused of accepting half 1,000,000 {dollars} in bribes involving an actual property deal throughout his tenure as Taipei mayor, in addition to misreporting marketing campaign finance throughout his run for president in January.
Prosecutors are searching for as much as 28.5 years in jail.
Ko’s accusation offers a vital blow to the political motion he represents, which has struck a chord with voters searching for a substitute for the ruling People’s Democratic Party and the principle opposition, the Kuomintang.
Ko, who has denied the corruption fees, was arrested in September and held in detention.
Prosecutors mentioned Thursday that he was amongst 11 individuals who had been prosecuted. Several different members of his Taiwan People’s Party have additionally been accused of misappropriating political donations.
A workhorse in January’s presidential electionsKo received greater than 25 % of the vote, not removed from ruling occasion candidate Lai Ching-te’s 40 %.
Observers on the time mentioned that though Ko had completed final among the many three presidential candidates, his appreciable end result indicated voters’ demand for a extra pluralistic political panorama past the 2 essential events.
Ko rose to prominence by presenting himself as a 3rd selection past the 2 essential events. He criticized the DPP for stoking tensions with Beijing, which sees the self-ruled island as its territory, but additionally blamed the KMT for being too deferential.
After supporting protesters throughout the anti-Beijing Sunflower Movement in 2014, Ko was elected mayor of Taipei as an impartial candidate.
He received a second time period in 2018, however his insurance policies seemed to be altering and he expanded Taipei’s relations with mainland China.
Long known as a wild card in Taiwanese politicsKo has courted controversy along with his brash rhetoric and outlandish marketing campaign concepts. He has been described as a “gaffe machine” and starred in a rap video in his 2018 re-election bid.
After his defeat within the presidential election, he vowed not to surrender on his political profession and is anticipated to run for president once more in 2028. But it stays to be seen whether or not his occasion will be capable of recuperate from the wave of prosecutions.
Ko’s arrest sparked protests from his allies and supporters, who accused the DPP of utilizing the costs to crack down on his opponents.
