Ko Wen-je, the former mayor of Taipei and current head of a minor opposition party, was arrested early Saturday, August 31, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving a major property development project in Taipei.
Ko, who served as mayor from 2014 to 2022 and finished third in January's presidential election, was detained following a raid on his home and party headquarters on Friday. His party, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), reported that Ko was questioned for several hours. Ko has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he is confident he is innocent.
The TPP issued a statement urging the court to carefully review the legality of Ko's arrest and ensure justice is served. The party has also acknowledged misreporting of campaign funds during Ko's presidential bid. Ko has announced he will step down temporarily as party chairman while the investigation into this issue continues and has apologized to his supporters.
Despite being widely anticipated to run for president again in 2028, recent scandals have significantly impacted Ko's and the TPP's popularity. The TPP, which he founded in 2019 to establish a new political force in Taiwan, currently holds only eight seats in the 113-seat parliament. However, it wields considerable influence, given that neither the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nor the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), holds a majority.
This year, the TPP and KMT worked together to push through parliamentary reforms to enhance oversight powers, which led to widespread protests. These reforms, contested by President Lai Ching-te's DPP, are now under review by Taiwan's constitutional court.
In Taiwan's political system, the president appoints the premier, who forms the cabinet, and the president signs legislation into law.
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