CNA file photo

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has declared total savings of NT$15.89 million (US$540,000) as part of his assets, nearly NT$2 million higher than a year ago, according to the latest "Clean Politics Report" published Monday by the Control Yuan.

In addition to the savings, Ko and his wife Chen Pei-chi (陳佩琪) jointly reported eight plots of land and two buildings they own, as well as mutual fund assets valued at NT$3.56 million and nine insurance policies.

The couple did not report any other assets, business investments or debts, according to the Control Yuan, the branch of Taiwan's government that audits and reviews the behavior of public officials and agencies.

The agency, which periodically makes public the assets of the country's high-level officials, released figures pertaining to the assets of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her deputy, Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), in the last edition of its Clean Politics Report, released March 30.

In a note on his property, Ko said he and his family have not made any new investments since he was elected as mayor of Taipei in 2014.

All the gains were generated from salary incomes of himself and his wife, as well as income from fund redemption, he declared.

As for NT$25.62 million in election subsidy he earned after winning the mayoral election four years ago, Ko said the fund has been spent totally on election affairs, donations and the payment of a fine by the Control Yuan.

Meanwhile, Culture Affairs Minister Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) reported joint savings of NT$287.15 million with her husband Shen Hsueh-jung (沈學榮), as well as two plots of land and four buildings they own -- all located in Taipei's high-end Da'an District.

The couple also declared creditor's rights to a total value of NT$672.77 million, according to Control Yuan data.

Compared with her last asset report, the savings of Cheng and her husband increased by NT$100 million, while their creditor's rights grew more than NT$500 million, making the Cabinet official far richer than Ko and even Tsai, who reported total savings of just over NT$52 million, and Vice President Chen, who declared joint savings of NT$5.65 million with his wife Luo Feng-ping (羅鳳蘋).

(By Claudia Liu and Elizabeth Hsu)
Enditem/J