TPP issues apology for flaws in statement of campaign expenses

Taipei, Aug. 10 (CNA) The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) issued an apology Saturday for flaws in its declaration of its expenses during the 2024 presidential election campaign after conducting an internal audit, and it pledged to rectify those mistakes soon.

In a statement, the TPP acknowledged there were problems with three expenses it declared, a NT$5 million payment on Dec. 20, 2023 to OCT Entertainment Co. for publicity services, and payments of NT$2.16 million and NT$2 million to Neo Creative Marketing Production Co. on Dec. 20, 2023 and Jan. 15, 2024.

The party's accounting team will conduct a comprehensive review of its declarations and submit the revised information to the Control Yuan as soon as possible, it said without elaborating on what the issues were.

Saturday's statement came amid general suspicions over the party's reporting of political donations and campaign expenses and one day after a representative of OCT Entertainment told the media that it never did business with or receive money from the TPP.

In a separate statement issued Friday, OCT Entertainment said the NT$5 million expense claimed by the TPP had nothing to do with the company.

TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who ran in Taiwan's presidential election in January, received nearly 180,000 small-amount donations during the campaign, which is why the audit into its donations and expenses took a lot of time and manpower, the party said.

According to provisions in the Political Donations Act, political parties receiving donations must keep an account book detailing its income, expenses and other relevant information.

The TPP will present the information to the Control Yuan because it is the authority responsible for overseeing political donations, according to Article 4 of the Political Donations Act.