Exclusive | Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je Slams Corruption Charges as Politically Motivated Ahead of Verdict

Former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) founding chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), facing a prosecutorial demand of 28 years and six months in prison over a corruption and political donation case, claims his prosecution is a political hit job that was originally intended to derail his 2024 presidential campaign.

With the first-instance verdict scheduled for March 26, Ko sat down for an exclusive interview with Storm Media to discuss the legal proceedings, his year-long detention, and what he describes as the systematic weaponization of Taiwan's judiciary.

When asked about the upcoming verdict, Ko responded with dark sarcasm.

“How could there be no guilt? They detained me for a year before ruling me innocent—would they pay state compensation?”

Ko revealed that his legal team—comprised entirely of former prosecutors and judges—holds a bleak view of the case, characterizing it uniformly as a political prosecution. While Ko maintains his innocence and points to a lack of concrete evidence during his extended detention, he admits he is "curious" to see how the judge will rule.

“This case is inherently political—legal cases aren't handled this way,” Ko said, adding that the situation is a "national tragedy" that places immense pressure on the presiding judge.

He likened his situation to the historical general Yue Fei, who was executed on fabricated charges.

“I won't be the last. How do such situations persist 30 years after Taiwan's democratization?”

Ko recalled that following his initial indictment, he was bombarded with eight court documents in eight days, ranging from bail and appeals to rejection and, finally, a detention order. He was particularly struck by the final ruling's language about "respecting the hierarchical court system," arguing that judges should exercise independent judgment rather than defer to institutional hierarchy.

Choosing not to appeal the detention order further, Ko said, “Everyone understands what this case is about. I don't mind—detained is detained.”

However, he warned that the mishandling of his case would severely damage public trust in Taiwan's judicial system.

He drew a parallel to 1986, recalling a "farewell gathering before imprisonment" for former President Chen Shui-bian(陳水扁) regarding the Formosa incident. Presidential advisorHsieh Chang-ting (謝長廷) remarked at the time that in a normal country, going to prison should be shameful, yet tens of thousands of people attended Chen's nationwide gatherings because "the state says someone is bad, but people think he's good."

Forty years later, Ko noted the irony of facing a 28-and-a-half-year prison sentence while simultaneously being swarmed by supporters asking for photos in southern Taiwan.

“Isn't that ridiculous?” he asked.

Ko traced the origins of the investigation to January 2023, shortly after he left office as Taipei mayor. 

Ko suggested a coordinated effort among various state agencies, asking who could simultaneously command the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, the Control Yuan, the Ministry of Interior, and specific media outlets like Mirror Media.

“This is what we call the deep state,” he said.

He pointed to discrepancies in the timeline of events. On Jan. 24, 2024, the Control Yuan published an investigation report censuring him. However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) central headquarters had already revealed the report's contents during a press conference on Jan. 8.

“Doesn't this confirm the Control Yuan is run by the DPP?” Ko asked.

According to Ko's sources, the investigation was originally timed to break right before the presidential election to inflict maximum political damage. He speculated that a lack of inter-agency cooperation delayed the process, causing the news to break only days before voting, which limited its impact.

Following the election, on Oct. 8, 2024, the Investigation Bureau report stated that "no suspicious capital flow [was] detected" and it was "difficult to identify false transactions." Ko believes the continued attacks are retaliation for his strong electoral showing.

“This is what I denounce—the judiciary cannot be a political tool or instrument for those in power to attack opposition parties,” he stated.

Ko's harshest criticism was directed at the prosecutors' investigative tactics, which he labeled a "fraudulent search." He claimed that the alleged criminal facts listed in the original search warrant application never appeared in the final indictment.

The true purpose of the search, Ko argued, was to seize his electronics and retroactively fabricate charges.

“The DPP dared to do this, assuming that after my eight years as Taipei mayor and presidential campaign, they could randomly find something incriminating in my records,” he said.

“But they didn't expect that I would never take money home—my wife Chen Pei-chi is a doctor who earns her own money.”

He claimed his extended detention was a direct result of prosecutors failing to find evidence; otherwise, he would have been released within days.

Ko highlighted the detention of his high school classmate, Li Wen-tsung (李文宗), as the case's biggest injustice. Li, who served as Taipei MRT chairman and had no connection to the claimed corruption charges, was detained based on a single text message reply to former Taipei Military Service Bureau Director Chu Ya-hu(朱亞虎) regarding campaign donations.

Because of this precedent, Ko advised current TPP legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to stop publicly joking about his computer hard drives being full, noting that Huang has already had five search warrants issued against him that judges refused to sign specifically because of the backlash from Ko's case.

Ko challenged the legal foundation of the graft charges, noting that the key witness, former Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Chin-jung(林欽榮), was the only official to claim the use of Urban Planning Act Article 24 for floor area ratio incentives was illegal. Ko stated that every other questioned civil servant, as well as the Investigation Bureau reports, confirmed the legality of the action.

He also pointed out two critical errors in the initial Control Yuan report: incorrectly claiming Article 24 was inapplicable, and mischaracterizing the case as an urban renewal project. Because the initial report was flawed, Ko argued, all subsequent proceedings are the "fruit of the poisonous tree."

Furthermore, Ko accused the Ministry of Interior of intentionally withholding a crucial document dated July 28, 2023. According to Ko, the document explicitly stated that the floor area ratio incentive provisions fell "under Taipei Urban Planning Committee's jurisdictional review authority." Now, when his team requests access to the official correspondence, the Ministry responds that the document "should be restricted or not disclosed."

Ko finds it absurd that a document originally sent to the Control Yuan to confirm no laws were violated is now being hidden to prevent it from "interfering with judgment."

“People see the judiciary colluding with media, becoming political tools,” Ko concluded, specifically accusing the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office of repeatedly and systematically leaking transcripts and unrelated text messages to Mirror Media. （Related： AI Crisis Management Tool Aims to Prevent Critical First-Hour Mistakes ｜ Latest ）

Original Article in Chinese