• 2 months ago
The political rivals of former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je react to his second arrest as he faces corruption charges.
Transcript
00:00Just days after his release, former Taipei mayor Ke Wen-je is handcuffed and led into
00:07a police van.
00:08As allegations of corruption during his time as mayor hang in the air, prosecutors convinced
00:13the court to reverse its decision to let Ke go for the time being.
00:17While this second arrest wasn't a total surprise, it has the party Ke founded, the Taiwan People's
00:21Party, in emergency mode.
00:26The head of the party's caucus had to cut short a radio interview after news broke
00:30and party leaders called an urgent meeting.
00:32The question at hand is whether Ke helped the owner of a shopping mall get planning
00:36permission to massively expand its floor space.
00:39Ke says he knew nothing about the matter, but prosecutors think there may have been
00:42a corrupt deal involving Ke and other city officials, and that the extra floor space
00:47earned the mall's owner around US$625 million in illicit extra profits.
00:52Ke has tried to reassure his supporters in a recorded message, saying the media and his
00:56rivals are trying to smash political opposition, but that he'll fight to the end.
01:06And his party has rallied around a criticism of the entire legal process.
01:23As Ke's party maintains Ke's innocence, the other two main parties say they'll leave it
01:27to the courts to decide.
01:53But Ke's fate could have big political consequences.
01:56This legislature is split three ways, with no majority.
01:59Though the smallest of the three, Ke's party, which centers on him, is therefore the decider.
02:04This scandal from years ago may just upset the political balance of power for years to
02:09come.
02:10Andy Hsueh and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.

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