The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) central committee yesterday said it had unanimously agreed to extend TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) leave for another three months, as he continues to be detained on corruption charges.
Ko’s initial three-month leave of absence from his party leadership role was to end on Nov. 29, but his detention has been extended to January next year. He is suspected of profiteering involving real-estate developers during his time as Taipei mayor.
According to Article 16 of the party’s charter, if the chair resigns or is unable to perform their duties, the committee must choose an interim chair.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
If the original chair’s remaining term exceeds one year, an election for a new chair must be held within six months.
The committee held a meeting and a subsequent press conference yesterday to discuss Ko’s leave of absence.
Committee members Lin Fu-nan (林富男), Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城), Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿), Lee Kuo-chang (李國璋) and Hsu Jui-hung (許瑞宏), as well as committee chairman Lee Wei-hua (李偉華) and TPP Secretary-General Vincent Chou (周榆修) were in attendance.
Ko’s leave of absence is to be extended for another three months, until Feb. 28 next year, TPP spokesperson Celina Wu (吳怡萱) told a press conference.
During this time, party affairs would continue to be managed by Lin, Huang and Lee Wei-hua, who are members of the party’s emergency response team, Wu said.
Lin said all 14 committee members unanimously agreed to the two decisions.
The party has established procedures and there is no need to speculate about matters three months from now, Lin said in response to questions about whether Ko’s leave would continue to be extended.
Lin also called on President William Lai (賴清德) to release Ko, emphasizing that the world is watching and questioning how long the Lai administration intends to detain Ko.
The party has protested what they say is Ko’s unfair treatment and politically motivated prosecution.
Lin also said that the party trusts lawyers to inform Ko of the committee’s decision, as he has been prohibited from communicating with others since he was detained on Sept. 5.
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