An investigation into allegations by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) that someone offered him US$200 million to run for vice president instead of president has been disbanded for lack of evidence, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office said today.
While running for president in November last year, Ko said in a radio interview that “someone” had offered him up to US$200 million to run on the bottom of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) ticket alongside New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜).
Ko’s campaign spokeswoman Vicky Chen (陳智菡) claimed that the offer “came from the KMT.”
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The TPP and KMT were at loggerheads at the time over how to present a united opposition ticket in the January election, as both parties were unwilling to concede the top spot on the ballot.
After the revelation, attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) filed a complaint with the prosecutors’ office, saying the offer would contravene the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) if proven true.
A provision in the act prohibits anyone from getting a candidate to “agree to abandon the campaign or to perform certain campaign activities by asking for expected promises or delivering bribes,” Huang said, adding that it still applies, even if the request is unsuccessful.
Huang also called on Ko to reveal the identity of the alleged perpetrator.
Prosecutors said they questioned Ko and Chen as witnesses to ascertain the person’s identity and searched for evidence.
However, as there was no prosecutable evidence, the office closed the case earlier this year, they added.
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