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A Taiwanese court on Thursday convicted former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je on corruption-related charges, marking a major development in one of the island’s most closely watched political cases.
The court found Ko guilty of multiple offenses, including the receipt of bribes amounting to NT$2.1 million (approximately $65,000) in March 2020, in the form of political donations while he was the mayor of Taipei. He was also convicted of the improper appropriation of NT$6 million in the form of political donations to the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), a party that he founded.
Ko Wen-je became a prominent figure in Taiwanese politics after serving two consecutive terms as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He also contested the presidential election in Taiwan in 2024, in which he was the second most popular candidate, receiving 25 percent of the total votes cast in the election.
In its decision, the court highlighted that “public officials are expected to be more transparent and accountable,” determining that Ko “knowingly engaged in behavior that violates Taiwan’s Anti-Corruption Act and related legislation on breach of trust and misappropriation, including behavior that provided for unlawful benefits related to urban development decisions.” The court sentenced him to a total of 17 years in prison, although additional consequences included the confiscation of assets and civil rights.
In a news conference after the decision, Ko, his defense team, and TPP officials spoke out against the decision, calling it “absurd” and a “violation of fair, impartial, and open judicial principles.” They further highlighted that “the proceedings did not include fundamental safeguards, such as the presumption of innocence and equality of arms.” They also took issue with the court’s determination that NT$2.1 million in donations was a “bribe.” TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang denounced the decision as a “politically motivated” judgment and called on supporters to mobilize, while Ko vowed, “[W]e will never compromise … this trial is not over.” His legal team said they will appeal after receiving the written judgment.
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The court found Ko guilty of multiple offenses, including the receipt of bribes amounting to NT$2.1 million (approximately $65,000) in March 2020, in the form of political donations while he was the mayor of Taipei. He was also convicted of the improper appropriation of NT$6 million in the form of political donations to the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), a party that he founded.
Ko Wen-je became a prominent figure in Taiwanese politics after serving two consecutive terms as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He also contested the presidential election in Taiwan in 2024, in which he was the second most popular candidate, receiving 25 percent of the total votes cast in the election.
In its decision, the court highlighted that “public officials are expected to be more transparent and accountable,” determining that Ko “knowingly engaged in behavior that violates Taiwan’s Anti-Corruption Act and related legislation on breach of trust and misappropriation, including behavior that provided for unlawful benefits related to urban development decisions.” The court sentenced him to a total of 17 years in prison, although additional consequences included the confiscation of assets and civil rights.
In a news conference after the decision, Ko, his defense team, and TPP officials spoke out against the decision, calling it “absurd” and a “violation of fair, impartial, and open judicial principles.” They further highlighted that “the proceedings did not include fundamental safeguards, such as the presumption of innocence and equality of arms.” They also took issue with the court’s determination that NT$2.1 million in donations was a “bribe.” TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang denounced the decision as a “politically motivated” judgment and called on supporters to mobilize, while Ko vowed, “[W]e will never compromise … this trial is not over.” His legal team said they will appeal after receiving the written judgment.
The post Former Taiwan mayor sentenced to 17 years for corruption appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.