Taiwan Court Frees Ex-Taipei Mayor in Corruption Case

A Taiwan court has ordered the release of a former mayor and presidential candidate who was arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal, citing insufficient evidence for his detention.

The Taipei District Court ruled on Monday that Ko Wen-je, former mayor of Taipei and leader of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), should be released, as prosecutors failed to justify his detention. The court stated that the prosecution had not proven there was a "high possibility" Ko had committed a crime and could not conclude that he had "knowingly violated the law."

Ko was arrested on Saturday as part of an investigation into alleged corruption related to the redevelopment of the Core Pacific City shopping center in Taipei. Speaking outside the court, Ko asserted that there was "no evidence" linking him to the real estate scandal.

Ko, originally a surgeon, entered politics in 2014 when he won the Taipei mayoral race as an independent candidate. After being re-elected in 2018, he founded the TPP in 2019 to challenge the dominance of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the China-leaning Kuomintang (KMT).

In the most recent presidential election, Ko secured around a quarter of the vote under the TPP banner, placing third behind the DPP’s William Lai Ching-te. Although the TPP holds only eight seats in Taiwan's 113-seat parliament, it has gained significant influence, as neither the DPP nor KMT has a ruling majority. Despite his popularity among young voters, Ko’s reputation has been affected by a separate scandal involving campaign funds. He is still considered a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

On Thursday, Ko said he would take a three-month leave of absence from the TPP leadership to take responsibility for the misreporting of campaign money and the use of election subsidies to set up a personal office space.

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