Ruling may end Ko’s political careerBy Lin Che-yuan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei District Court’s guilty ruling yesterday in the corruption trial of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has potentially cut short a once-promising political career. Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je reacts during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Ko’s legal troubles erupted the same year, when the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office opened an investigation into alleged bribery over an urban redevelopment project concerning a torn-down mall and misappropriation of political contributions. The Taipei District Court on Tuesday indicted Xu on charges connected to alleged contraventions of the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), banking fraud and forgery. Ko’s conviction at his first trial, combined with the scandals and legal woes surrounding the TPP, is likely to pose a severe test not only to the doctor-turned-politician, but the political party he founded.

Source: Taipei Times March 26, 2026 17:15 UTC