Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday announced that he would apply for a three-month leave of absence from his leadership role in response to multiple scandals that have rocked the nation’s third-largest political party.
Ko also said he would “voluntarily apply [to the party] for an investigation,” without elaborating.
At a news conference organized by the TPP, Ko apologized to party supporters for the misreporting of campaign finances for the presidential election in January.
Photo: CNA
“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.
“Not considering the whole picture is a bad habit of mine,” Ko said. “This is a responsibility I have to face up to.”
Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) and TPP legislative caucus director Vicky Chen (陳智菡), who respectively had been director and deputy director of Ko’s election campaign, said the news conference 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 misreporting about NT$18.17 million (US$569,539) of payments to companies including Muko Public Relations Marketing Ltd (木可行銷公關), which sold merchandise bearing Ko’s trademark “KP” logo.
The following day, Muko director Li Wen-chuan (李文娟) 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 scrutiny related 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 and 12 witnesses in connection to the probe.
Yesterday, prosecutors requested the detention of three people, including Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇).
They also released three others on bail ranging from NT$2 million to NT$12 million for their alleged involvement in the corruption case.
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