Former Taiwan Presidential Hopeful Takes Leave From His Party
(Bloomberg) -- Former Taiwan presidential candidate Ko Wen-je said he was temporarily stepping down as leader of the opposition party he founded, a move that comes as authorities probe his handling of election funds.
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Ko said during a press briefing on Thursday that the leave of absence from the Taiwan People’s Party would last three months.
He apologized for misreporting campaign expenses, an issue that prompted prosecutors in Taipei to launch an inquiry earlier this month. Ko also said that it was “inconsiderate” to use an election subsidy to buy an office unit that he has said was for the TPP.
Ko, a former trauma surgeon, was a surprisingly popular third-party candidate for president in the island at the center of China-US tensions. He finished with nearly 27% of the vote in January, behind the eventual winner, President Lai Ching-te, and runner-up Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang.
Ko and Hou flirted with the idea of establishing a joint ticket but never clinched a deal.
The TPP and the KMT later formed a coalition in the legislature that passed a law bolstering the power of lawmakers to probe the executive branch.
Tens of thousands of supporters of Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party took to the streets of cities around Taiwan to condemn the bill earlier this year, saying it would disrupt the work of the government.
Lai has said companies and foreign chambers of commerce expressed concern over the controversial legal changes.
The backers of the law, which the Constitutional Court has suspended during a review, say it introduced badly needed reforms.
Also, the Taipei Times has reported that prosecutors searched offices and questioned people over possible preferential treatment of developer Core Pacific City Co. while Ko was mayor of Taipei City.
There’s no indication that Ko has done anything wrong regarding Core Pacific City. He said at the briefing on Thursday that he hoped prosecutors thoroughly investigated the case.
Core Pacific City said in a statement that its operations and finances were normal, and that it would follow guidelines for corporate governance.
--With assistance from Betty Hou.
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