Authored by Dorothy Li & Frank Fang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
TAIPEI, Taiwan - A Taipei court on March 26 found a former presidential candidate guilty of corruption-related charges and sentenced him to 17 years in prison, a verdict that has attracted domestic media attention amid the ongoing political deadlock in Taiwan.
Ko Wen-je, former mayor of Taipei, was convicted on four counts, including accepting bribes, embezzlement, and breach of trust, the Taipei District Court said in a press release.
In addition to the lengthy prison sentence, the court said that Ko would also be stripped of civil rights for six years.
Taiwan’s semi-official media outlet Central News Agency (CNA) described Ko as the first leader of a major opposition party in Taiwan’s history to be sentenced to prison.
Ko founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) during his second term as Taipei mayor, and ran a high-profile campaign for the presidency in January 2024.
While 66-year-old Ko has the option to appeal, the verdict is likely to prevent him from running for president again in 2028. Under Taiwan’s election law, individuals sentenced to more than 10 years in prison cannot be registered as candidates for president or vice president.
Ko was indicted in December 2024. Prosecutors had sought more than 28 years’ imprisonment for Ko, accusing him of accepting roughly half a million dollars in bribes from a web of businesspeople and politicians related to a property redevelopment project in Taipei.
In a separate statement, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that it will promptly review the judgment upon receipt and, if necessary, file an appeal within the legal timeframe.
Ko has consistently denied any wrongdoing since his arrest in September 2024. At a press conference on Thursday, Ko dismissed the verdict, saying “it is not a trial in a country governed by the rule of law, but a political performance orchestrated under political manipulation.”
“I sought no personal gain, committed no corruption, and I have a clear conscience,” Ko said.
Ko’s defense lawyers told the briefing that they will discuss filing an appeal after receiving the judgment.
Huang Kuo-chang, TPP’s current chairman, called the verdict “outrageous.”
“It’s not just regret—it’s anger. This is an outright political verdict based on trumped-up charges,” Huang told the press conference.
Huang, who has announced his bid for mayor of New Taipei City in November’s election, added that he will make a formal announcement on March 27 to mobilize his party members to hold a rally in Taipei on March 29.
On his Facebook page, Huang criticized the verdict, saying the fight for Ko’s innocence would continue.
“At this moment, we must pull ourselves together even more, because this road ahead is still very, very long. As long as Ko does not give up, we will not give up,” Huang wrote from the courthouse, where he was accompanying Ko.
The ruling against Ko may further complicate Taiwan’s political environment. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition have been mired in a rare political crisis. The opposition, consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT) party and its much smaller ally, the TPP, has used its majority in the parliament to block or stymie key government proposals, including the budget.
In a show of solidarity, the KMT said on Facebook that it “deeply regrets” the court’s decision, warning that such a heavy ruling could deepen the public perception that the rule of law and democracy are being used as “a political tool.”
Meanwhile, the ruling DPP responded by asking Ko to “respect the judiciary and face the ruling with courage.”
“While we refrain from commenting on specific cases, we will also not accept accusations that lack a factual basis,” Taiwan’s national media outlet CNA cited the party as saying.
Ko was Taipei’s mayor from 2014 to 2022. In January 2024, he finished third in Taiwan’s presidential election as a TPP candidate, receiving about 26 percent of the vote.
Taiwan is set to hold general elections in November, during which voters will choose city mayors, city councilors, county chiefs, and county councilors.