TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) said his party continues to cooperate with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in the legislature, as prosecutors investigate its former chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) for corruption.
Chu told reporters that KMT-TPP cooperation is a “natural thing” while on a visit to Yunlin on Friday (Sept. 13), per SETN. He said cooperation between the two parties reflects the public desire for strong supervision of the government.
The KMT caucus holds a slim majority in the legislature, and working with the TPP improves its chances of securing the votes needed to pass laws.
Chu was also asked to respond to the results of a poll published by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation on Friday, which found a majority of respondents do not believe the investigation into Ko is the result of political persecution. The KMT insists on an impartial judiciary and will handle accusations of wrongdoing according to the facts, Chu said in response.
The poll asked respondents if they thought Ko had received fair treatment in the judicial proceedings to date. Of the 1,016 people surveyed, 40% of respondents said they thought Ko had been treated fairly, and 26% said he had not.
Ko is currently in jail awaiting the results of an investigation into an alleged corruption scheme involving a property development when he was Taipei mayor. He was placed in detention on Sept. 5 by a court that ruled there was sufficient reason to believe Ko had committed corruption-related crimes.