Former Taiwan Presidential Hopeful Arrested for Corruption

(Bloomberg) — Ko Wen-je, former leader of Taiwan’s opposition party, was arrested after almost 19 hours of interrogation in connection with a property development scandal that occurred while he was mayor of Taipei.

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Ko was taken into custody late Friday night due to concerns about possible collusion, after he refused to continue overnight questioning, according to a report by the Central News Agency that cited the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office.

Under Taiwan laws, prosecutors must request a court to detain a suspect or witness within 24 hours of interrogation. Ko requested a judicial review of the arrest, which was declined by the Taipei District Court, CNA said in a separate report.

The Taiwan People’s Party, which was co-founded by Ko in 2019, said in a statement that it respects the court’s decision but supports Ko’s legal right to defend himself.

Ko, a former trauma surgeon and surprisingly popular third-party candidate in the latest Taiwan’s presidential race, garnered almost 27% of the vote in January. He finished behind the eventual winner, President Lai Ching-te, and runner-up Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang.

The arrest of Ko is the latest incident in a series of investigations into Taiwanese politicians for corruption or misconduct since President Lai took office in May this year. In July, former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan of DPP was detained on corruption charges.

Ko announced on Thursday that he would temporarily step down as chairman of the TPP amid a series of scandals related to the party’s expenses, including the use of election subsidies and political donations.

(Updated with court’s latest decision in third paragraph.)