Ko Wen-je vows to 'not surrender,' denies guilty verdict

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) Ex-Taipei mayor and former Taiwan People's Party (TPP) leader Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Thursday he would "not surrender," the same day the Taipei District Court sentenced him to 17 years in prison on corruption charges and other offenses.

"Lai Ching-te! (賴清德) I will absolutely not surrender, and I will not yield," Ko said at a press conference after the verdict, suggesting that his conviction was politically motivated by referring to Taiwan's president by name.

"I did not seek improper benefits, nor did I commit corruption," he said.

Ko will discuss appealing the judgment, according to his lawyer.

Ko said the case "did not pursue factual truth" and involved "too much political interference," describing it as "a political script written in advance."

He said procedural justice had been undermined, stating that "rules of evidence were discarded" and testimony was "selectively accepted," he said.

Ko said the judiciary should be trusted as "the final line of defense" of the country and must not be used as "a political tool" or as "a tool for those in power to suppress opposition parties."

The Taipei District Court found Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) guilty of bribery and Ko accepting NT$2.1 million (US$65,735) in bribes through Sheen's proxies, according to presiding judge Chiang Chun-yen (江俊彥).

According to the court's press release, Sheen, acting with the intent to bribe an official to breach their duties, had seven Core Pacific Group employees withdraw company funds and each transfer NT$300,000 to a TPP political donation account controlled by Ko between March 24 and March 26, 2020.

Text message exchanges between former Dingyue Development Corp. President Chu Yea-hu (朱亞虎), one of the seven individuals appointed by Sheen, and Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), then director of Ko's mayoral office, indicate that Ko was aware of and received the NT$2.1 million, according to the press release.

Ko accepted the funds with intent and facilitated the review of the project, which was then subject to administrative litigation, in breach of his official duties, it noted.

Ko said the court used a NT$2.1 million donation from the Core Pacific Group to convict him of corruption.

"I did not know about this political donation at all," he said.

Ko described the case as "a frame-up" from beginning to end.

"You've deployed the full force of the state to investigate for more than a year, and still found no illicit financial flows," he said.

The former TPP leader said the case had weakened Taiwan's judicial system and reduced public trust.

At the same press conference, current TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said he was "unable to believe" the verdict and described it as "political judgment."

Huang said the party would not retreat in response to the ruling and would remain united in support of Ko.

He said the TPP would issue a nationwide mobilization order and call supporters to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard, where Taiwan's Presidential Office is located, on Sunday afternoon.