Investigators are questioning former presidential candidate and founder of the Taiwan People's Party Ko Wen-je in connection with a corruption probe. The search comes a day after he took a three-month leave of absence from leading the party after it became embroiled in several allegations of misusing campaign funds. Ko is also a former mayor of Taipei City.
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00:00Taipei prosecutors investigating claims of corruption have searched the home of former
00:04Taiwan People's Party head Ke Wenzhe.
00:07The search comes just hours after Ke announced he was taking a leave of absence from leading
00:12the TPP, the party he formed.
00:15Louise Wat joins us live from outside the Agency Against Corruption, where Ke is now
00:19being questioned by investigators.
00:21Louise, it looks like the pressure is really mounting on Ke.
00:29That's right, Tiffany.
00:30How times change in the space of a year.
00:32Ke has gone from being a presidential candidate to a suspect in a corruption investigation.
00:39He's being investigated on suspicion of profiteering.
00:44Now this morning, prosecutors turned up at his home around seven and they searched inside.
00:50At the same time, they also searched the party headquarters of the party he created.
00:55A few hours later, he came out of his home and this is what he said.
01:23He's now being interviewed here at the Agency Against Corruption.
01:28This investigation goes back to May and it involves a series of real estate deals that
01:34happened during his time as Taipei City Mayor.
01:40Now people have been, other people have been questioned, some have been detained.
01:44At issue is, did any money go into the pockets of Taipei City officials?
01:51Now the case that Ke is being questioned about today involves a shopping mall.
01:57Its land area ratio extended quite significantly and the allegations are that Ke approved this
02:04to benefit the developer rather than for any public benefit.
02:09Ke is also embroiled in allegations that he misused campaign funds.
02:15Only yesterday, he said he was stepping down from head of his party, the Taiwan People's
02:21Party, for a leave of absence for three months.
02:25Now the party's response, they say that they don't know the reason why Ke's home has been
02:32searched or indeed their party headquarters, but they say the party is fully cooperating
02:38with the investigation and they fully support Ke in defending his innocence.