Prosecutors are seeking a prison term of nearly 30 years for former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je on corruption charges. Ko's Taiwan People's Party is calling for his release from detention as investigations continue.
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00:00Twenty-eight years and six months, that's how long Taipei District Prosecutors are seeking
00:06for former Taipei City Mayor Ke Wen-je on charges of corruption.
00:11They say Ke accepted bribes over a construction project while in office, worth over 500,000
00:17U.S. dollars, and that he mishandled two million U.S. dollars in political donations during
00:22his unsuccessful bid for president earlier this year.
00:25Ke is a former medical doctor-turned-politician who founded the Taiwan People's Party in 2019.
00:46He found strong support among Taiwan's youth, who liked his straightforward manner, and
00:51among those who wanted to see a third force in Taiwan's politics, long dominated by the
00:56Democratic Progressive Party and Kuomintang.
00:59His party is standing with him, and they're calling for Ke to be released from detention
01:03while the investigation continues.
01:32Ke expressed an intention to stand down as party leader and asked for special permission
01:37while being held incommunicado to send in a resignation letter.
01:41Some speculate this was meant to distance the party from his corruption investigation.
01:45But the TPP says they have not received such a letter and is still calling Ke their leader.
01:51Many of Ke's supporters see the corruption charges as retaliation by the DPP to shut
01:56down the politician and his party, and the corruption charges are further fueling their
02:01stand against the establishment.
02:03Yixin Chen and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.