TPP leader Ko Wen-je announces 3-month leave amid scandals

Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced he would apply for a three-month leave of absence from his leadership role on Thursday in response to multiple scandals that have rocked Taiwan's third-largest political party.

Ko also said he would "voluntarily apply [to the party] for an investigation," without elaborating.

At a press conference organized by the TPP on Thursday afternoon, Ko apologized to party supporters for the misreporting of campaign finances during Taiwan's January presidential election.

"Especially for disappointing friends and supporters of the TPP, on this point, I would like to express an apology," Ko said, before bowing in front of the assembled press.

Ko said that he bore "the biggest responsibility" for the breach of trust caused by the scandal.

In response to separate criticisms leveled at Ko earlier this week for spending the party's presidential election subsidy on personal office space, Ko said that he did so only because the party "needed" a "legislative office" near the Legislative Yuan, adding that he had allowed the party to use the workspace.

"Not considering the whole picture is a bad habit of mine," Ko admitted. "This is a responsibility I have to face up to."

Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and Chen Chih-han (陳智菡), who respectively had been director and deputy director of Ko's election campaign, also spoke at the press conference that aimed to "clarify in one swoop" accounting discrepancies that prompted the Control Yuan to launch an investigation.

On Aug. 14, the TPP blamed Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), an accountant contracted by the campaign's finance department, for the misreporting of approximately NT$18.17 million (US$562,852) in payments to companies including MuKo Public Relations Marketing Limited, which sold merchandise bearing Ko's trademark "kp" logo.

The following day, Li Wen-chuan (李文娟), the chairperson of MuKo Public Relations, was released on bail of NT$1.5 million, while Tuanmu was granted bail of NT$1 million, after being questioned by prosecutors.

Aside from the campaign finance scandal, Ko is also under pressure in relation to an anti-corruption probe into real estate dealings that took place when he was mayor of Taipei.

On Wednesday, investigators searched 48 locations and questioned six suspects as well as 12 witnesses. On Thursday, prosecutors requested the detention of three individuals including Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇), a Taipei city councilor. They also released three other individuals on bail amounts ranging from NT$2 million to NT$12 million for their alleged involvement in the corruption case.