Taipei prosecutors yesterday conducted another round of questioning of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Lee Wen-chuan (李文娟), director of marketing firm Muko (木可行銷公關), in relation to a corruption probe.
Bailiffs escorted Ko to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, then the Agency Against Corruption at the Ministry of Justice, while prosecutors also questioned Lee.
It was the 10th time prosecutors had issued a summons to question Ko in relation to the corruption probe since initiating the investigation in late August. In recent days they have also questioned others listed as suspects in the case, including former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) and former Dingyue Development Corp president Chu Yea-hu (朱亞虎).
Photo: CNA
Reports indicated that the investigation has made major progress and uncovered more evidence of more than NT$100 million (US$3.08 million) of illegal funds received by Ko, said attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎), director of Taiwan Forever Association.
Huang also alleged that prosecutors have found a hard drive owned by Ko containing copies of eight checks by which corporations and business tycoons paid “large sums of money” to Ko, or to the TPP as political donations, but were not included in assets declarations, nor in the party’s accounts.
Huang said various reports he has received indicate that the investigation would likely lead to a formal indictment in the next two weeks.
Ko has remained uncooperative and denied any wrongdoing; Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Lee Wen-chung (李文宗), chief financial officer during Ko’s presidential campaign, have taken the same stance.
Prosecutors had brought in software technicians to look at communication data and money flow records contained in seized mobile devices, USB sticks and a hard drive seized from Ko’s residence, TPP headquarters and companies affiliated with Ko and his party, Huang said.
They were able to recover data and images from deleted files, he said, adding that Ko is facing charges of tampering with and destroying evidence relating to a judicial investigation.
Huang alleged that some insiders had warned Ko of the impending judicial investigation and search at his residence on Aug. 30.
Ko had allegedly instructed his personal secretary Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), nicknamed “Orange” (橘子), to take USB sticks containing detailed financial records and cryptocurrency wallets abroad. She boarded a flight bound for Japan, Huang said.
With most evidence and records now deciphered by prosecutors, Huang said it is likely that Ko would be indicted for contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), as other suspects in the case have admitted to paying bribes and attending meetings where financial benefits for Core Pacific Group were discussed and approved by Ko.
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