TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has been dealing with several scandals since leaving office.

These controversies primarily involve contract negotiations and alleged irregularities. The five main scandals are the Core Pacific City development case, the Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market renovation, the Beitou Shilin Technology Park bidding controversy, the Nangang Bus Station bidding deal, and the Taif contract incident.

The Core Pacific City case centers around the floor area ratio increase at the shopping center from 392% to 840% during Ko’s administration. Kuomintang Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) was implicated in the case for her involvement with Core Pacific Group and the transfer of over NT$40 million (US$1.25 million), according to CNA.

The Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market (TFVWM) renovation revolves around a clause in the bidding contract for the TFVWM renovation that stipulated negotiations would be held at a later date for the sixth to eighth floors. This led to allegations that the city government forced the TFVWM to rent these floors, with an additional NT$5 billion added to the project’s price tag, according to United Daily News.

The Beitou Shilin Technology Park (BSTP) bidding controversy involves Shin Kong Life Insurance Co. (SKLIC) winning the BSTP bid at a bargain price due to multiple failed bids. The project has faced delays and concerns over contract execution, according to CNA.

The Nangang Bus Station incident is similar to the BSTP scandal, as SKLIC also won the Nangang Bus Station bid at a discounted price. The project has faced significant delays, with only half of the building completed and the estimated completion date pushed back to 2029, per CNA.

The Taif contract deal revolves around a dispute over the contract for Taipei City’s surveillance camera internet. Taipei City Council insisted on upgrading the data transfer rate to three megabits per second (Mbps), leading to conflict between Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and Ko’s administration over the pricing for the three Mbps transfer rate, per CNA.

The Taif scandal also involved allegations of corruption against KMT Taipei City Councilor Chen Chung-wen (陳重文) and Tai Tung Communication Corporation Chair Li Ching-huang (李慶煌).

These scandals have raised questions about Ko Wen-je’s leadership and his administration’s handling of public contracts.