TPP decries Ko indictment as 'political persecution'

Taipei, Dec. 26 (CNA) The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) on Thursday condemned the indictment of its leader, Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), by prosecutors, accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of persecuting a political rival and attempting to silence the 3.69 million Taiwanese citizens who voted for Ko in the 2024 presidential election.

Opposition TPP officials made the remarks at a news conference in response to the indictment of Ko, who was charged with bribe-taking, illegally benefiting others, embezzlement, and breach of trust in connection with the Core Pacific City development case and the handling of his presidential campaign contributions.

Taipei prosecutors accused Ko of taking NT$15 million from Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), founder and chairman of the real estate conglomerate Core Pacific Group, and an additional NT$2.1 million through Sheen's proxies.

Prosecutors alleged that the payments were made to secure Ko's assistance in illegally increasing the floor area ratio (FAR) of one of the group's redevelopment projects, thereby boosting the property's financial value.

Ko and his accomplices were also accused of pocketing tens of millions of New Taiwan dollars in political donations to the TPP, according to the indictment by the Taipei Disctrict Prosecutors' Office.

Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 28.5 years for Ko, including 15 years for bribery, 5 years and 6 years for separate cases of embezzlement, and 2.5 years for breach of public trust.

"Today is one of the darkest days for Taiwan's democracy," TPP Central Committee member Lin Fu-nan (林富男) told the news conference.

"Over the past four months, the administration of (President) Lai Ching-te (賴清德) colluded with the (Democratic Progressive) Party, the police and the media to besmirch my party in an attempt to eliminate it," he said.

The information in the indictment appeared to be "pieced together from random sources" without detailing cash flows, failing to account for the "where" and "how" Ko took the alleged bribes, Lin said.

"Ko was a presidential candidate supported by 3.69 million citizens, and politically persecuting him is tantamount to undercutting the rights of 3.69 Taiwanese people who exercised their will," Lin said.

TPP lawmaker Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) also slammed what he said was the inability of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office to produce any concrete evidence in the indictment despite launching a probe that lasted four months.

The office ended the news conference Thursday morning about Ko's indictment without a question-and-answer session, which showed its lack of confidence in its own investigation, Huang argued.

Earlier in the day, the DPP urged the TPP to read the indictment and examine all the evidence presented before attempting to frame the prosecution as a miscarriage of justice.

"Should other wrongdoing (by Ko) be exposed, and he receive a life sentence, the prison terms would be consolidated into 30 years at most," DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) told a morning news conference at the Legislature.

"If you do not pay back the illicit gains, you will get the maximum prison term, and there is almost no difference between 28.5 years and 30 years," Ker added.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) said in response to the indictment that it remains steadfast in its stance that no crimes should go unpunished but opposed any trumped-up charges.

In a statement, the KMT expressed hope that the judges will try the case in a fair and just manner so the Republic of China's (Taiwan's official name) judicial system regains the trust of the people.

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Dec: 26: Ko Wen-je's 10-year rise and fall in Taiwanese politics

Dec. 20: Court agrees to let gagged Ko send resignation letter to TPP

Q&A/What is Core Pacific Case, how is TPP Chairman Ko involved?

Timeline/Core Pacific City corruption case involving ex-Taipei mayor (up to Dec. 26)