Ko Wen-je, a former Taipei mayor and presidential contender, was indicted on Thursday for corruption, including accepting $500,000 in bribes related to a real estate deal during his mayoral term and misreporting campaign finances from his January presidential bid.
Prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of 28.5 years for Ko, who has denied the charges.
His indictment marks a significant blow to the Taiwan People Party (TPP), which he founded as an alternative to Taiwan’s ruling Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and main opposition Kuomintang (KMT).
Ko, who garnered over 25% of the vote in January’s presidential election, had positioned himself as a “third choice” in Taiwan’s polarised political landscape.
However, his political future and that of the TPP remain uncertain following his arrest and the prosecution of several party members for misappropriating political donations.
Observers say Ko’s sizable electoral support underscored public demand for a more pluralistic political scene in Taiwan, but the corruption charges could reshape his legacy and the TPP’s trajectory.
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