Former Taipei Mayor Released From Detention Amid Graft Probe
(Bloomberg) -- Ko Wen-je, ex-mayor of Taipei and former presidential hopeful, was released from detention after being arrested in a graft investigation that could threaten the political future of the politician and his upstart Taiwan People’s Party.
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Ko, who campaigned on a promise to rid the government of corruption, was freed early Monday after the Taipei District Court said there was insufficient evidence to hold him, the Central News Agency reported. He was arrested over the weekend after he balked at the continued interrogation since Friday and asked to leave the prosecutor’s office.
Ko, a former trauma surgeon who won just over a quarter of the votes in January’s leadership election, was suspected of corruption involving the redevelopment of a shopping center that was approved while he was mayor of the Taiwanese capital.
The investigation could hurt the TPP’s image further after the party, Taiwan’s third largest, was accused of misreporting campaign finances in a separate inquiry and apologized for it. Ko said last week he would temporarily step down as leader of the party, whose handful of lawmakers hold the balance of power in Taiwan’s legislature.
TPP thanked the the court for Ko’s release and said it will help Ko defend himself in a statement.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office plans to appeal the decision, CNA reported. Core Pacific, the developer being investigated for corruption, said in a statement on August 29 that the company’s operation is unaffected by the case and it would follow guidelines for corporate governance.
Polls conducted in the last two weeks show the alleged mishandling of election funds and Ko’s suspected role in the alleged corruption case have dented the popularity of both the TPP and Ko, whose outsider reputation had found popularity among young voters.
Former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng, who has no official party affiliation, remains in detention following his questioning last week after the court ruled he was highly involved in the case, according to a separate report by CNA.
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