Ko Wen-je, a former Taipei mayor and one-time presidential candidate, has been charged with bribery, profiteering, embezzlement and breach of trust and could face more than 28 years months in prison if convicted Ko, who won support among younger voters in a presidential election this year with promises to upend Taiwan’s political establishment, was indicted on Thursday and released on NT$30 million (US$1 million) bail on Friday after spending 113 days in detention.
Ko, chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party, or TPP, has denied the charges. “I still believe in myself. I’m not the type of person who would seek personal gain, engage in corruption, or break the law,” he told reporters outside his home on Friday.