Former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People's Party Ko Wen-je has been charged with accepting bribes and embezzling public funds. If found guilty, he faces up to 28 and a half years in prison.
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00:00Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe, who was once a rising star on Taiwan's political scene,
00:05has been charged with accepting bribes and embezzling public funds.
00:09The 65-year-old now faces up to 28 and a half years in prison.
00:15Tiffany Wong is following Kerr's case and joins us live from the district court where
00:19Kerr is today.
00:20Tiffany, what do we know about the charges?
00:24Hi, Reese.
00:27Former Taipei City Mayor Ko Wenzhe has been charged with several offenses under the crime
00:33of corruption, some regarding a construction project during his time as Taipei City Mayor,
00:40which prosecutors say he received over 500,000 U.S. dollars in bribes for.
00:45He's also facing charges for mishandling political donations during his unsuccessful bid for
00:52the presidency, regarding 2 million U.S. dollars there.
00:57Now, if found guilty, he could face up to 28 and a half years in jail.
01:03Kerr is a former doctor-turned-politician who gained popularity, especially among Taiwan's
01:09young people, with his third party, the Taiwan People's Party, providing a fresh voice in
01:15Taiwan's political scene, which has long been dominated by the ruling Democratic Progressive
01:20Party and the main opposition, Kuomintang.
01:24And during his bid for the presidency, he did receive 26 percent of the vote.
01:29That's a pretty significant number for a third party candidate.
01:33He has denied these allegations before, but he was held incommunicado for the past four
01:40months as prosecutors said that he could potentially try to destroy evidence or collude with others.
01:46And now today, he has been charged along with 10 others, including his former deputy
01:50mayor and the head of the construction company at the head of that project.
01:58And Tiffany, what does this mean for Kerr's political future and the future of his party?
02:04Well, there are some mixed opinions.
02:08Kerr definitely has a lot of supporters still, some who say that this prosecution is retaliation
02:15from the Democratic Progressive Party, who view Kerr and his Taiwan People's Party as
02:19a threat to their power.
02:21However, since undergoing, since the investigation into these allegations began, Kerr has lost
02:30some favor in the public, according to some polls.
02:34However, his party seems to have remained clear of that for now.
02:39Now, his party, the Taiwan People's Party, still has a significant role in the legislature,
02:45winning a small but significant eight seats in a legislature where there is no majority
02:50party.
02:51So they're actually able to play the role of tiebreaker in passing legislation.
02:58Now, while being held incommunicado, Kerr did receive special permission to submit a
03:03resignation letter from his position as chair of the Taiwan People's Party.
03:10It perhaps could be a move to try to distance himself from the party while he's undergoing
03:15these investigations.
03:16However, his party says that they did not receive the letter, and they are standing
03:21staunch in their support for him.
03:24They'll be watching this investigation closely to see if perhaps he can even return to the
03:28party later on.