Related Articles
Ko, who denied the corruption allegations, was arrested in September and held in detention.
Prosecutors stated Thursday that he was amongst 11 individuals who had been being prosecuted. A number of different members of his Taiwan Individuals Celebration have additionally been charged for misappropriating political donations.
A dark horse in January’s presidential election, Ko gained greater than 25% of the vote – not far behind ruling occasion candidate Lai Ching-te’s 40%.
Observers stated on the time that regardless that Ko got here in final among the many three presidential hopefuls, his sizable displaying pointed to voters’ demand for a extra pluralistic political panorama past the 2 fundamental events.
Ko rose to prominence by branding himself as a 3rd selection past the 2 fundamental events. He criticised the DPP for fanning tensions with Beijing, which sees the self-governed island as its territory, but additionally blamed the KMT for being too deferential.
After supporting protesters throughout the anti-Beijing Sunflower Motion in 2014, Ko was elected Taipei mayor as an impartial candidate.
He gained a second time period in 2018, however his politics appeared to shift and he expanded Taipei’s relationship with mainland China.
Long known as a wildcard in Taiwanese politics, Ko has courted controversy together with his brash rhetoric and quirky marketing campaign concepts. He has been described as a “gaffe machine” and starred in a rap video in his 2018 re-election bid.
After his defeat on the presidential polls, he vowed not to surrender on his political profession and was anticipated to hunt the presidency once more in 2028. But it surely stays to be seen if his occasion can get better from the wave of prosecutions.
Ko’s arrest has triggered protests from his allies and supporters, who accused the DPP of utilizing the charges to suppress its opponents.
