Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday denied any wrongdoing and accused the ruling party of political reprisal at a news conference following a ruling sentencing the former Taipei mayor to 17 years in prison for corruption and misusing political donations.
“I will not surrender. [President] William Lai (賴清德), I will not yield,” he said while flanked by TPP officials.
Ko said that the case was political suppression rather than impartial law enforcement, adding that prosecutors cited NT$2.1 million (US$65,820) in alleged bribes that he said he was unaware of.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
“You can remove one Ko Wen-je, but there are millions of ‘little grasses’ (小草),” he said, referring to his young supporters.
Online commentators said that the case was first raised by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平), questioning Ko’s claims of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) “oppression.”
TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that a “national mobilization order” would be issued this morning, calling on TPP supporters to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard on Sunday afternoon to demand justice.
Huang said he believed the court was determined to achieve the goal of handing down a prison sentence of more than 10 years, which restricts Ko from holding office.
The TPP is fighting not only for Ko’s innocence, but also to save a judicial system that has been reduced to a tool for the DPP’s “green authoritarianism,” he said.
The KMT in a statement said that the public has reason to question whether judicial rulings could influence the political fate of opposition leaders, and expressed support for Ko’s right to pursue legal remedy.
Judicial decisions must uphold the principle of separation of powers and protect political rights, the party said, adding that inconsistent case handling risks undermining public trust.
The KMT said investigations involving opposition figures often appear to proceed more swiftly than other controversial cases and warned against the judiciary being used to settle political disputes or weaken opposition parties.
The DPP in a statement said that it respects judicial independence and would not comment on individual cases.
Separately, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that if the TPP wishes to survive, it should respect the judiciary and admit its mistakes.
Huang dragging the entire party along in a campaign to smear the judicial system would only accelerate the party’s demise, she said.
This is also a moment of decision for the KMT — if the party continues to stand with a corrupt politician merely to preserve its alliance with the TPP and oppose the DPP, it would likely end up going down with the ship, she added.
DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said that Ko’s disqualification from running for president could have a significant impact on Taiwan’s political landscape.
He said the ruling could affect cooperation between the TPP and the KMT, particularly in the buildup to November’s local elections, as support for a joint effort might become uncertain.
Differences between the two parties are more likely to emerge at the local level, although legislative cooperation would continue, as the KMT needs the TPP’s eight seats to form a majority, Lin said.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan, Chen Cheng-yu and Lee Wen-hsin
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