TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Thursday (Aug. 29) that he would step down from his post for three months.
Ko has been embroiled in a political donations controversy, with accusations that his 2024 campaign funds were misreported. The issue has been ongoing for nearly a month.
At 3 p.m., the TPP held a press conference attended by Ko, Legislator Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), Ko's former campaign director, and others to address the allegations of accounting irregularities, favoritism toward developers, and purchasing commercial property. Ko bowed and apologized, saying he took full responsibility for “the widespread turmoil caused and disappointing supporters," per TVBS.
Ko admitted he compromised financial discipline and caused people to lose trust in him and the TPP, per CNA. He added he needs to reflect on whether he can still lead the party and “provide his supporters with a vision and the strength to keep moving forward.”
During Ko's recent election campaign, there were reportedly multiple instances of misreporting political donations. In response, the TPP formed a crisis management team led by Huang to handle the audit process.
The TPP's Central Review Committee also suspended Huang's party membership for three years. Li Wen-zong (李文宗), the former campaign finance director, and Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), the former campaign accountant, were expelled from the party.
The TPP claimed that all problematic receipts have been thoroughly investigated.
In addition to the accounting scandal and the Core Pacific City corruption case, Ko has been criticized for using election subsidies to spend NT$43 million (US$1.34 million) on purchasing a personal office registered under his name. This has led to dissatisfaction among supporters, sparking calls for Ko to step down.
Reports emerged Wednesday (Aug. 28) that Ko was considering taking a leave of absence to "temporarily step down as party chair" and has requested an investigation by the TPP's Central Committee. Potential acting chair candidates include TPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and Lin Fu-nan (林富男), a member of the party's central committee.
