The Control Yuan yesterday confiscated NT$55.8 million (US$1.69 million) from former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) over contraventions of campaign finance laws while he was the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) presidential candidate.
The Anti-Corruption Committee also fined Ko NT$3.74 million in addition to the confiscation, citing its mandate under the Administrative Penalty Act (行政罰法), the Control Yuan said in a statement.
The administrative ruling was separate from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office’s criminal charges against Ko.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The committee in August last year launched an investigation into Ko’s handling of campaign finances following a separate corruption probe by prosecutors.
The committee obtained material that prosecutors had seized, which provided evidence that Ko concealed donations to his presidential campaign and gave large amounts to a public relations firm, it said.
The money paid to the company was too much to be service fees for Ko’s presidential campaign and the transactions were not reported, the Control Yuan said.
The committee administratively ruled that Ko “clearly contravened” articles 1 and 23 of the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法), it said.
Ko’s running mate, Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈), was exempt from the penalties, while the Disciplinary Court would make a decision on accountant Tuanmu Cheng’s (端木正) penalty, the committee said.
Complaints filed by five people, including Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-fong (林延鳳), triggered the investigation into Ko’s finances, it said.
Caucus office director Vicky Chen (陳智菡) said that the party would appeal the administrative ruling.
The timing of the Control Yuan’s announcement — a day before Ko’s first court appearance today — showed that the government branch and prosecutors are orchestrating a politically motivated attack on him, the TPP said.
The profits were derived from campaign-themed merchandise and concerts, and were not political contributions, it said.
The Control Yuan should apply the same stringent standards to similar operations by the campaigns of President William Lai (賴清德) and former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), it added.
Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS