Ko Wen-je, once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential candidate, was indicted on Thursday on corruption charges.
The 65-year-old is accused of accepting $500,000 in bribes related to real estate deals while he was Taipei’s mayor, and of falsely reporting campaign finances while running for president in January.
Prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of 28.5 years in prison.
Mr. Ke’s indictment deals a decisive blow to the political movement he represents, and resonates with voters seeking an alternative to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the main opposition party, the Kuomintang.
Ko denied the corruption allegations, but was arrested and detained in September.
Prosecutors announced Thursday that he was among 11 people indicted. Several other members of his Taiwan People’s Party have also been charged with misappropriating political donations.
Ke, the dark horse in January’s presidential election, received more than 25% of the vote, far behind the 40% of ruling party candidate Lai Qingde.
Officials said at the time that although Ko came in last of the three presidential candidates, his impressive performance showed voters’ demand for a more pluralistic political landscape beyond the two major parties. He said there was.
Mr. Ke rose to prominence by branding himself as a third option beyond the two major political parties. He criticized the Democratic Progressive Party for stirring up tensions with the Chinese government, which regards the self-governing island as its own territory, but also accused the Kuomintang of being too deferential.
After supporting protesters during the 2014 anti-Beijing Sunflower protests, Mr. Ke was elected mayor of Taipei as an independent candidate.
Although he won a second term in 2018, his politics appear to have changed, expanding ties between Taipei and mainland China.
Mr. Ke, long known as a wild card in Taiwanese politics, has stirred controversy with his brash remarks and outlandish election ideas. He has been described as a “gaffe machine” and appeared in a rap video during his 2018 re-election.
After his defeat in the presidential election, he vowed not to give up on his political career and was expected to seek the presidency again in 2028. But it remains to be seen whether the party can recover from the wave of prosecutions.
Ko’s arrest sparked an outcry from his allies and supporters, who accused the Democratic Progressive Party of using the charges to suppress opposition.
