Taiwan People's Party founder and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has been
sentenced to 17 years in prison by the Taipei District Court after being
found guilty of bribery and corruption charges.

The Taipei District Court sentenced Ko to 13 years in prison and six years of
deprivation of civil rights for corruption, two years for one case of
misappropriating political donations, three years and six months for another,
and two years for breach of public trust.

The court also sentenced Core Pacific Group founder and chairman Shen
Ching-jing yo 10 years in prison and five years of deprivation of civil
rights.

Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying was sentenced to 15 years and six months in
prison, along with a six-year deprivation of civil rights, for pressuring
city government officials to facilitate approval of the Core Pacific City
development project.

All three defendants were present at the court for the verdict.

Ko is the first major opposition leader in Taiwan to have ever received a
prison sentence.

There was a heavy police presence as over 100 of Ko's supporters and T-P-P
members gathered outside the court as the ruling was announced.

Minor scuffles broke out after bystanders mocked pro-Ko chants and after
pro-independence activists set off firecrackers and criticized Ko.

No arrests were reported.

Ko was indicted on December 26, 2024 and prosecutors had been seeking a
sentence of 28 and-a-half years.

Ko remains under investigation in connection with six other cases.

The district court ruling can be appealed.